US warns of 'explosion' of online child sextortion


Many of the schemes begin in chat rooms and online gaming sites, and the people behind them approach the victims using fake female identities. — Technology photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com

WASHINGTON: US justice officials warned Monday that there was an "explosion" of incidents in which children were extorted for money after being persuaded to provide explicit images of themselves.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said US law enforcement received more than 7,000 reports in the past year on financial sextortion of young children and teens that led to 3,000 victims.

Save 30% OFF The Star Digital Access

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 9.73/month

Billed as RM 9.73 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.63/month

Billed as RM 103.60 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Tech News

From one apartment, a window into generations
Meta overlooks ads from illegal gambling sites, says UK watchdog
OpenAI CFO says annualized revenue crosses $20 billion in 2025
Revolut seeks Peru banking license to expand Latin America footprint
NYSE-parent Intercontinental Exchange develops platform for 24/7 tokenized securities trading
Mother of Elon Musk's child sues his AI company over sexual deepfake images created by Grok
Japan, US narrow first $550 billion investment picks, including SoftBank-linked plan, sources say
Trump wants tech giants to pay for power. They’d love to
US$2 rental batteries are helping to power South Africa
Blind fans were given touch tech to follow Africa Cup games, but not for the final

Others Also Read