‘Telling somebody is huge’: Sextortion cases rising as US law enforcement serves public warnings

According to a 2021 Common Sense Media survey, an estimated 88% of 13- to 18-year-olds and 43% of 8- to 12-year-olds have smartphones. It's not too surprising, then, that sexting is more common among kids and teens these days. — Dreamstime/TNS

The five teenage girls from Western New York did not know “gregory.oneil.752”, who sent a friend request on Facebook and began separate conversations with them on Facebook’s Messenger application in the spring of 2018. But quickly within each exchange, authorities said, this unfamiliar social media user gained control over them.

A 17-year-old from Gowanda, a 13-year-old from Fredonia, a 14-year-old from Forestville, a 16-year-old from Silver Creek and a 16-year-old from West Valley fell prey to gregory.oneil.752, according to court documents. He would send sexual images of someone he claimed to be, and then after complimenting the girls’ appearance, request they respond with a sexual image of themselves.