Teen Boys at Risk of Sextortion as 74% Lack Basic Awareness

Three-quarters of UK teen boys don’t fully understand what sextortion is, putting them at greater risk of online attacks, according to new National Crime Agency (NCA) data.

The NCA also revealed late last week that 74% of teenage boys don’t see requests for nude images as a sextortion attempt, a similar share (73%) don’t know how to report incidents and only 12% feel they may be at risk of digital extortion.

In fact, the risk is far greater.

UK police forces received an average of 117 reports of sextortion from under 18s each month, although the NCA said the crime is likely to be under-reported, given the shame and embarrassment it often causes the victim.

Read more on sextortion: Nigerian ‘Yahoo Boys’ Behind Social Media Sextortion Surge in the US

The agency also cited figures from the US National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), claiming it received an average of 556 reports of sextortion per week in the year to June 2024 – an 8% annual increase.

In a typical sextortion case, the victim is tricked into sending compromising photos or videos, which the aggressor then uses to blackmail them unless they send either more content or money.

The NCA warned that organized crime gangs in West Africa and Southeast Asia are starting to gravitate to the scheme in order to make money. It said that, in some cases, initial contact to blackmail takes less than an hour.

That’s why the NCA has launched a month-long campaign focused on raising awareness among 15- to 17-year-old boys. This follows an alert about the crime sent to teachers last April.

The new campaign also offers guidance for parents and carers on how to support their children if they fall victim.

Alex Murray, NCA director of threat leadership, described sextortion as an “unimaginably cruel” crime.

“This campaign will help empower young boys, giving them the knowledge to spot the dangers posed by this crime type and how to report it. It supports them to understand that if it does happen, it is never their fault. It will also take the advantage away from the criminals responsible, whose only motivation is financial gain,” he continued.

“A lot of victims feel responsible for the situation they find themselves in. But we need them to know this is absolutely not the case; you are not to blame and help and support is available. As well as raising awareness, we want to encourage young people to report incidents to an adult they trust, the police or to the CEOP Safety Centre.”