Teenage boys are believed to be one of the most vulnerable demographics, thus teachers in the UK are being encouraged to assist in identifying warning indications that their students are falling prey to sextortion.
According to new guidelines released by the National Crime Agency, criminal groups, who are frequently based overseas, are utilizing both real and phony photos to blackmail their victims. In certain cases, this might happen within an hour of the first contact.
Sextortion is an egregious offense. Victims and lives that could be lost in the process are of no regard to those who commit these crimes. The NCA’s director general for threats, James Babbage, stated that their only goal is financial gain.
The crime entails coercing someone into making a payment or complying with another financial demand in exchange for not releasing private photos. Sometimes the perpetrators use deception to coerce the victim into producing or sharing the content; other times, they create digital mockups that are frighteningly realistic.
The report was released as the family of a 16-year-old boy, who committed suicide after falling prey to sextortion, pleaded with anyone who could fall prey to similar tactics to talk to those in their immediate vicinity.
Murray Dowey, from Dunblane, Scotland, took his own life in his bedroom on the night of his death, shortly after becoming the object of a sextortion attempt, according to his family, who spoke with the Reporter about the incident.
“We were 6 feet way when this was happening,” his mother stated on Monday. All he had to do was enter our bedroom. It therefore involves putting down the phone, getting up, and telling someone else, “This has happened, what the hell do I do?” Murray was lost since he didn’t do that.
A “considerable increase in global cases” of sextortion prompted the NCA’s Ceop child protection team to warn hundreds of thousands of UK teachers.
It provides guidance on recognizing the warning signs of this kind of abuse, helping young people, and motivating them to get assistance. In an effort to debunk the stigma attached to the subject and, thus, [take] power away from those who would hurt their children, it also provides advice for parents and other caregivers on how to talk to their children about sextortion and how to help them if they become victims.
According to the NCA, a large number of the criminal groups posing the threats had their headquarters in south-east Asian and west African nations.
It is urged that those who are targeted never pay, or if they have already paid, not to give over any more money. It is urged that they report and block the individual who is contacting them.
