Growing number of young men in Australia targeted for ‘sextortion’

Seven out of 10 victims of sextortion – a form of extortion that involves sexual acts or images as its currency – in Australia were men, according to the office of Australia's eSafety commissioner, a government agency. — Dreamstime/TNS

KUALA LUMPUR: A rising number of young men in Australia are falling victim to online "sextortion", the head of the country's Internet safety agency has warned, bucking a global trend of primarily targeting vulnerable women and girls.

Seven out of 10 victims of sextortion – a form of extortion that involves sexual acts or images as its currency – in Australia were men, according to the office of Australia's eSafety commissioner, a government agency.