Multiple Cases of Juvenile 'Sextortion' Under Review in Washington County
Washington County authorities are raising awareness after what they call an “alarming increase” in cases of online “sextortion” cases involving juveniles, with multiple cases under review by the Woodbury Department of Public Safety.
Washington County Attorney Pete Orput on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, did not provide details on those cases under review, but gave more information on what sextortion is and what parents should do to help combat it.
Sextortion is the act of extorting a victim after they share intimate sexual photographs or videos. The majority of the sextortion cases go unreported because the victims feel too scared to tell anyone.
These sextortion cases often involve a targeted child between the ages of 14 and 18 years old receiving an online friend request from an unknown individual of the opposite sex.
During the communication, the targeted child believes he/she is speaking to a another juvenile around the same age. The child is often targeted online from their social media profile or known web presence through a sport or school organization. Once the request is accepted, the targeted child receives private messages which can start off innocently and quickly turn sexual in nature. After a limited level of trust is gained, the targeted child is asked to exchange sexually explicit photographs.
More information on sextortion from the FBI
If the child sends a sexually explicit photograph, the communication then turns to a threat of exposing the pornographic image with the child’s social media contacts or to pay an amount of money to avoid exposure. In some cases, the targeted child or parents have paid the sum of money to avoid the explicit photographs’ exposure online and other times the targeted child refuses to pay the sum of money, after which the images are released.
“Parents should take the time to discuss the real threats that exist in the social media world,” Woodbury Police Comm. John Altman said. “Particularly during the pandemic, when kids are separated from their friends in person, the lure of new acquaintances can be tempting. It’s important for kids to know who their friends are, and a good rule of thumb is to limit social media friends to verifiable people.”
Altman says parents shouldn’t be afraid to be aware of the child’s social media friends lists and ask how they know those people. If you have concerns or questions, please contact your local law enforcement organization’s non-emergency number.
