On April 30, 2025, two individuals were arrested and charged with the operation of “764,” an international child exploitation enterprise.
“[This] 764 is a network of nihilistic violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct in the United States and abroad, seeking to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, in a press release.
One such tactic targeted toward kids and teens is known as sextortion, a growing concern among law enforcement officials and parents alike. And even though some leaders of 764 have been taken down, this exploitation technique remains a threat in the modern digital age.
What Is Sextortion?
Tens of millions of teenagers go online nearly every day in the United States, whether that’s by scrolling on social media, using messaging apps, or playing video games. This is where sextortion threats typically originate.
Predators on these platforms will take on fake identities, befriend children, and threaten to release explicit images or videos unless the child cooperates by sending money or more sexual imagery.
The perpetrators may claim to be of similar age and start communicating with kids under the false pretense of offering friendship, romance, or something else of value. This “trap” builds trust with the victims and leads the predators to ask for additional sexual content or, again, financial payment.
“The amount requested varies, and the offender often releases the victim’s sexually explicit material regardless of whether or not they receive payment. This increasing threat has resulted in an alarming number of deaths by suicide,” per the FBI.
The threats to “expose” the victims’ explicit content can scare victims into silence and make them feel obligated to cooperate. Or, as the FBI noted, it may even push children to take their own lives.
Why Are Teen Boys Being Targeted?
In 2022, more than 3,000 sextortion tips were sent to Homeland Security Investigations. And one sextortion scam specifically targets teen boys between the ages of 14 and 17.
While they’re on social media apps, gaming platforms, or other online forums, the boys will be contacted by an adult predator pretending to be a young girl. They fake romantic interest until they’re able to get the boy to send a nude photograph or show their unclothed body on a webcam.
Once the perpetrator has this content, they’ll then threaten to publicly release the photos unless the boys agree to share more images or send money.
“In some schemes, adult predators deceive and manipulate young males into engaging in explicit activity over video, which the predator secretly records. The predator then reveals that they’ve made the recording and threatens to post clips online if the victim doesn’t pay up,” according to ICE.
How To Spot Signs Of Sextortion
This scam usually begins with an unknown friend request or other communication attempt from an unknown individual who uses flattery, compliments, or promises some sort of romantic relationship. Initial conversations might even seem genuine, but this is designed to score trust and a supposed “friendship” with the victims.
Additionally, the predators might try to offer kids items of perceived value, such as online gaming credits, modeling contracts, money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
Some may even attempt to hack children’s computers to gather explicit content directly. Or, they’ll falsely claim to already have access to nude images and videos that they plan to expose unless the victim cooperates.
“These criminals commonly make first contact with a victim on one platform, then ask them to move to a second or third platform that uses encrypted messaging to make tracking their crimes more difficult,” ICE stated.
How Can Parents Protect Their Children?
Awareness and open conversations about these online threats are the first step. While many victims of these sextortion schemes are over the age of 13, predators have targeted kids as young as 9 years old. And regardless of gender or orientation, all children could certainly end up at risk, especially since so many kids have access to the internet these days.
Parents can set healthy limits around media use at home and rely on screen time rules, parental controls, and strong privacy settings. But beyond the tech side of it, kids also need honest, age-appropriate conversations about online risks and to know they can always speak up if something feels fishy.
Victims may become caught in a cycle of coercion if they feel shame, remorse, or embarrassment. Make sure your child knows that they can talk to you about any situation without fear of blame or humiliation.
Other tools you can equip your child with include reminding them to be selective with online conversations and blocking first-time message attempts from strangers. Moreover, sexually explicit content should not be shared with anyone, and even social media accounts can potentially offer personal information to predators.
Teens must also be wary of links sent by anyone they don’t personally know, use secure passwords that are difficult to guess, and understand that nothing shared online, from texts to photos or videos, will ever “disappear.”
Reporting Sextortion
If you or a loved one has been targeted by a sextortion scheme, you can report the crime via CyberTipLine, which is the nation’s centralized reporting system for online child exploitation.
Victims and their families can also contact the Department of Homeland Security or their closest FBI field office.
