By Lindsay Whitehurst -
The Associated Press
The FBI sounded the alarm Monday about an explosive increase in online attacks on teenagers who are being extorted after being tricked into sending sexually explicit images of themselves.
At least 3,000 children, mostly teenagers, have fallen victim to schemes linked to more than a dozen suicides this year, a scale that US authorities have not seen before, according to Justice Department officials.
Many think they are chatting online with children their own age, but
are quickly manipulated into sending explicit images and then blackmailed for money
with threats to publish the images, the FBI said.
Most of the victims are between the ages of 14 and 17, but children as young as 10 have been attacked.
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The FBI said it was issuing a national public safety alert because children are able to spend more time online now that schools are closed for winter break.
There has been a staggering 10-fold increase in reports of such attacks since last year, and there are likely more victims than ever reporting it, according to FBI officials.
Shame can keep them from asking for help.
“Victims may feel that there is no way out;
It is up to all of us to reassure them that they are not in trouble, that there is hope, and that they are not alone," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
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Many of the current schemes are believed to originate with scammers based in West African countries such as Nigeria and the Ivory Coast.
The suspects typically pose as children of a similar age, often using a girl's profile picture.
It usually happens on large platforms like Instagram or Facebook, but it can also be in games or video chats, authorities said.
The alert is intended to put this issue in the public spotlight so that children feel more comfortable and adults can help them learn to spot false identities and reject anyone who requests explicit images, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Police Department of Justice.
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The Department of Homeland Security is also working to trace fake accounts back to where they came from, according to Steve Francis, acting executive director of Homeland Security Investigations.
It's unclear if federal prosecutors brought any cases related to the scams.
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The tactics used by those behind the fake accounts are becoming more aggressive
and cases have been rising around the world, advocates said.
“This is a growing crisis, and we have seen
sextortion
completely devastate children and families,” said Michelle DeLaune, executive director of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
"The best defense against this crime is to talk to your children about what to do if they are attacked online."
