Thread by @FBI

#HappeningNow: Welcome to our Twitter chat about sextortion. Brian and Amy are here to answer your questions. Send us your questions with #AskFBI. #StopSextortion

Q1. @carissas2009 asks, what are the most common mediums being used by the perpetrators to find their victims & what steps have the FBI taken to bring awareness?

A1. Social media platforms and the online gaming environment are just two platforms where we are seeing increased targeting of children/teens. The FBI encourages children and parents to have their guard up when they are gaming online. #StopSextortion

Q2. @IRISOFFICIAL_YT asks, “What is sextortion?”

A2. Sextortion is a crime that involves an adult coercing a minor to create & send sexually explicit images or video. Victims of sextortion are typically between the ages of 10 to 17, but a child of any age can become a victim if they are online. Help the FBI #StopSextortion.

Q3. @SmittyO216 asks, “What is the most common and/or unusual place you find this happening?”

A3. While many victims are initially contacted through their social media accounts, often offenders will encourage them to move to messaging platforms for one-on-one contact. 1/

A3. Make sure your child’s social media profile is private so offenders cannot use their info to victimize them. Offenders will often use information from a victim’s public social media profile to make threats seem more realistic. 2/2

Q4. @ImaniAmil asks how can the public help #stopsextortion?

A4. The average age at which children are being exposed to pornography online is getting younger and younger. Therefore, the FBI encourages parents and caregivers to engage in frank, consistent, and early dialogue about appropriate online behavior. 1/

A4. If you believe you are a victim or know a victim of sextortion, contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or @MissingKids at cybertipline.org. As a victim, you have not committed a crime, and help is available for you. 2/

A4. Reporting to law enforcement is important because the FBI has seen that many offenders are not targeting just a single child. If an offender is targeting your kid, there is a good chance the offender is targeting someone else’s kid, too. #StopSextortion 3/3

Q5. @USAO_NDOK asks what apps are you seeing used most right now?

A5. The apps which are most popular amongst today’s teens are the apps which offenders will use to target them for sextortion. That includes social media, online games, and messaging apps. Offenders will exploit any available technology or application where children are present.

Q6. @enthos39 asks what tools are available to help parents warn their children about sextortion?

A6. As you are preparing to engage with your child about appropriate online behavior, some resources are available at @NetSmartz, through the Safe Online Surfing program (sos.fbi.gov), and on our website (fbi.gov/news/stories/s…).

Q7. @Jaydubyaeff asks what are the common threats these offenders use to coerce minors to make such videos?

A7. Using information from the victim’s public social media profiles, offenders may threaten to send explicit images to the victim’s family, friends, or classmates. We have even seen offenders make threats to physically harm those close to the victim.

Q8. @SPredicted asks how often does sextortion happen?

A8. Since we’ve started this chat, it is very likely numerous children have been coerced to produce sexually explicit images of themselves and send them to an offender. Sextortion is a global threat, so children are being victimized 24 hours a day.

Q9. @itzfama_c asks can this sextortion happen to males or do they only target females?

A9. Sextortion primarily targets females, however, offenders victimize all genders and orientations. They can be honor roll students, athletes, and come from any socio-economic background. 1/

A9. It is also important to remember that offenders also come from all walks of life. 2/2

Q10. @ElijahHouk_ asks how do you support/assist a victim after the crime has been reported?

A10. Sextortion is a federal crime. It is important for victims to understand they are not in trouble and have rights under federal law. The FBI’s victims specialists are trained to provide individualized needs assessments. More information available here: fbi.gov/resources/vict…

Q11. @AstrocatFreitag asks besides monitoring social media, are there other signs of sextortion we could be watching for?

A11. Look for changes in behavior such as sleeping, eating, socializing, pulling away from friends, a drop in grades, attention/distraction, loss of interest, self-harming, and any other deviations from their normal behavior.

Q12. @enthos39 asks what are the penalties for offenders?

A12. Sextortion is a federal crime, and the FBI takes it very seriously. Offenders are aggressively prosecuted and receive significant prison sentences. 1/

A12. Because this is a global threat and offenders may be located anywhere in the world, we also work closely with our international law enforcement partners to bring offenders to justice. 2/2

Thanks for joining us today and for all the great questions about sextortion. Help us spread the word and #stopsextortion. For more info on sextortion and to find additional resources go to: fbi.gov/news/stories/s…