Sextortion: When Social Engineering Takes Lives
The escalating threat of financial sextortion is turning into a public safety crisis that demands immediate intervention. Every life lost has a profound impact on economic and national progress.
A few days ago, I stumbled upon a heartbreaking story on LinkedIn about a young man named Carson. Tragically, Carson ended his life after falling victim to online financial sextortion. While sextortion isn't a new phenomenon and is a social engineering tactic I've been monitoring for years as part of corporate cyber risk, it's alarming to see this public safety emergency increasingly targeting society's most vulnerable members - minors.
Sextortion coerces individuals into sharing explicit images or videos under the threat of their private content being made public. This crime can stem from any digital platform and its impact is amplified by global connectivity. Research by NCRI has revealed that a network of financially driven cybercriminals from West Africa, self-dubbed as the Yahoo Boys, are behind almost all of the financial sextortion cases targeting minors.
The alarming tenfold surge in sextortion cases over the past 18 months can be directly attributed to the Yahoo Boys. They have been disseminating sextortion instructional videos and scripts on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, thereby empowering and inciting other criminals to partake in financial sextortion. These sextortion perpetrators are flooding high schools, youth sports teams, and universities with fake accounts to lure their victims into compromising situations.
Sextortion predators frequently use social engineering tactics to manipulate their victims. They might impersonate someone else, build a false relationship, or use multiple identities to interact with the victim. In some cases, they might even hack accounts to obtain explicit images. A common tactic involves the creation of catfish accounts on Instagram, where the criminals pose as young females and send a multitude of follow requests to boys.
Once these requests are accepted, the criminals capture screenshots of the target's Instagram followers and following lists. They then entice the victims to switch to another social media platform where they pressure them into sending explicit photos. Upon obtaining these photos, the criminals present the victims with screenshots of their followers and following lists. This provides the criminals with significant leverage, which they exploit by threatening to distribute the compromising photos to all the victim's friends and family.
In addition to these tactics, generative Artificial Intelligence apps are also utilized in large-scale sextortion operations targeting minors. This underscores the evolving nature of sextortion tactics and the growing sophistication of the tools employed by these criminals. It further emphasizes the pressing need for increased awareness, education, and stringent security measures to safeguard vulnerable individuals, especially minors, from such threats.
Sextortion cases have seen a significant rise, with an increase of 300% from 2016 to 2020. In 2022 alone, the FBI received over 3,000 sextortion tips and recorded more than 7,000 reports of sextortion. Furthermore, between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI identified around 12,600 victims of sextortion, all of whom were minors, underscoring the gravity of this problem.
Sextortion, especially among the youth, has a profound emotional toll. It frequently results in feelings of shame, despair, and loneliness. The trauma from these experiences can be so intense that it occasionally leads to self-harm. As digital connectivity expands, sextortion is becoming an escalating public safety concern. This type of exploitation inflicts significant personal damage and has extensive repercussions for social and economic progress.
A considerable number of young individuals subjected to sextortion end up seeking medical or mental health care. Some are even compelled to relocate, and a substantial proportion find it difficult to share their experiences with friends or family, primarily due to feelings of shame or embarrassment. These victims frequently grapple with depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and fear. In certain instances, the victims are so overwhelmed that they take their own lives.
Two heartbreaking incidents underscore the devastating consequences of sextortion. In March 2022, a 17-year-old named Jordan DeMay tragically ended his own life after becoming a victim of a sextortion scam. In a similar case, Gavin Guffey, also 17, took his own life in July 2022 after falling prey to sextortion. These cases emphasize the pressing need for increased awareness, education, technical, and legal measures to combat this fatal online abuse.
In the recent Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis hearing, the CEOs of Meta, X, TikTok, Snap, and Discord were called to testify about the safety of young users on their platforms. The companies faced criticism from senators for not providing sufficient protection against sexual predators. Despite the executives’ defense of their commitment to child safety and their preventive measures, the hearing underscored the escalating concern about the impact of social media on the mental health and overall well-being of young users.
Awareness and education are crucial in protecting oneself from sextortion. It's important to understand how the crime occurs and to have open discussions about online safety. Staying informed about common sextortion tactics and keeping abreast of the latest threats is a key part of this. Moreover, caution should be exercised in online relationships, especially if acquaintances start asking for intimate photos or videos. It’s also advisable to adjust privacy settings to the maximum level to ensure online accounts are secure.
The escalating menace of sextortion is a pressing issue that demands immediate attention. The profound emotional toll it inflicts on victims underscores the urgency for comprehensive measures to combat this crime. It’s crucial to foster an environment where open discussions about online safety are encouraged, and victims are empowered to seek help without fear of stigma.
As we navigate the digital age, it’s incumbent upon us all to ensure the internet remains a safe space for everyone, especially our most vulnerable members. The tragic stories of Carson, Jordan, and Gavin serve as stark reminders of the devastating consequences of sextortion and the urgent need for action. Let their stories not be in vain, but catalysts for change in our collective approach to online safety.