The FBI warned that it has seen an increase in online predators who extort teen boys after they trick them into making sexually explicit videos or pictures.
Supervisory Special Agent Wesley Tagtmeyer said victims have been as young as 14.
The FBI Chicago Office said the offenders are usually adults who pose as teen girls. After they send videos or pictures purportedly of themselves, offenders persuade the boys to engage in explicit behavior while secretly recording it.
Tagtmeyer told WBBM this is different from other online crimes rooted in personal gratification.
“The motivation is cold, hard cash — money,” Tagtmeyer said. “[Offenders] try to get a compromising picture or video, and then they use that.”
Tagtmeyer said the offenders are asking for hundreds of thousands of dollars through online services like Apple Pay, PayPal, or via gift cards.
“And we’re seeing this where offenders meet victims on gaming platforms, as well as on social media platforms,” he said.
Tagtmeyer didn’t cite any specific numbers of cases in the Chicago area — he said victims’ embarrassment stops many from reporting it.
The FBI, though, said it received more than 18,000 sextortion complaints in the U.S. last year, with losses of more than $13 million.
The FBI warned kids to limit their online profiles to people they know, be wary of anyone they meet who wants to move the conversation to another platform and report any suspicious behavior to an adult.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
Related
