SEXTORTION OF CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES
A FACT SHEET FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN
What is Sextortion?
Sextortion is a criminal act that occurs when someone demands somethin o! "alue# t$%icall$ imaes o! a sexual nature# sexual !a"ors# or mone$# !rom a %erson &$ either'
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Threatenin to release or distri&ute material the "ictim see(s to (ee% %ri"ate) This material o!ten includes sexuall$ ex%licit imaes# "ideos# e*mail# and text messaes
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Threatenin to +nanciall$ harm !riends or relati"es o! the "ictim &$ usin in!ormation o&tained !rom the "ictim,s com%uter unless the$ com%l$ with demands
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-ithholdin somethin the "ictim needs or wants unless the$ com%l$ with demands) This is usuall$ %er%etrated &$ someone in a %osition o! %ower or authorit$# such as a o"ernment o.cial# educator# or em%lo$er
How does Sextortion happen?
Sextortion can &e !acilitated in man$ wa$s &$ those see(in to ex%loit "ulnera&le indi"iduals sexuall$ or !or +nancial ain) The$ t$%icall$ &ein &$ o&tainin sensiti"e material %ertainin to their "ictims) Some o! the methods include'
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Hac(in or use o! malware to assume control o! a "ictim,s com%uter# ainin access to the "ictim,s +les# and/or control o! the com%uter,s we&cam and micro%hone
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The!t o! %ersonal electronic de"ices that contain sensiti"e material
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Social enineerin ** leadin the "ictim to &elie"e the %er%etrator can &e trusted as the %er%etrator re%resents himsel!/hersel! as a &usiness 0i)e) modelin aenc$1#!riend# or e"en the "ictim,s &o$!riend or irl!riend) This results in the "ictim releasin sensiti"e material to the %er%etrator
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Identit$ the!t These tactics are t$%icall$ conducted o"er the Internet or cellular networ(s usin social networ(in sites 0SNS1# instant messain# and e*mail) The diaram &elow illustrates a t$%ical sextortion %rocess'2
How is Sextortion reated to !Sextin"# and $%&in"?
Sextin is the sendin o! sexuall$ ex%licit imaes !rom one %erson to another usin mo&ile de"ices) Sextin is one wa$ imaes come into the %ossession o! a %er%etrator who could use them to !acilitate the sextortion) -hen sexuall$ ex%licit imaes o! a student are distri&uted to their %eers# those imaes o!ten &ecome the &asis o! intense &ull$in in a school en"ironment)
Who is at ris' and what is the i(pa)t?
Sextortion a3ects children across all demora%hics) 4ictims o! sextortion withdraw !rom !amil$ mem&ers and can ex%erience anxiet$5 %s$choloical# %h$sical and emotional trauma5 &ull$in5 increased ris( !or suicide5 and increased dro%out rates)
Exa(pes o* Sextortion Cases+
In No"em&er# 6728# Lucas 9ichael Chansler# :7# o! ;ac(son"ille# Florida# was sentenced to 27< $ears in %rison !or %roducin child %ornora%h$) Durin a !our*$ear %eriod# Chansler is &elie"ed to ha"e sexuall$ extorted a%%roximatel$ :<7 "ictims in 6= states# three Canadian %ro"inces# and the >nited ?indom)
In 9arch# 6728# ;ared ;ames A&rahams# a com%uter science student# was sentenced to ser"e 2@ months in !ederal %rison a!ter %leadin uilt$ to three counts o! extortion and one count o! unauthoried access o! a com%uter) A&rahams tareted doens o! "ictims around the lo&e# includin 9iss Teen >SA Cassid$ -ol!) A&rahams used malicious so!tware to disuise his identit$ in order to ca%ture nude %hotos or "ideos o! !emale "ictims throuh remote o%eration o! their we&cams without their consent)
Between 677< and 677# I"or$ Dic(erson and Patric( Connoll$ "ictimied more than :#@77 children throuh sextortion) >sin malware# Dic(erson and Connoll$ were a&le to assume control o! the "ictims com%uters and then demanded the "ictims send sexuall$ ex%licit imaes o! themsel"es) Dic(erson was sentenced to 227 $ears in %rison while Connoll$ was sentenced to :7 $ears in %rison)
In 672:# Christo%her Patric( unn# :2# o! 9ontomer$# Ala&ama# was sentenced to:< $ears in %rison !or %roducin child %ornora%h$ throuh a massi"e online sextortion scheme) O"er a %eriod o! more than two $ears# unn re%eatedl$ used com%uters# chat rooms and other social media outlets to threaten hundreds o! $oun irls# aes to 2=# located throuhout the >nited States and internationall$)
In Fe&ruar$# 6727# Anthon$ Stancl# 2# o! -isconsin recei"ed 2< $ears in %rison a!ter he %osed as a irl on Face&oo( and %ersuaded at least :2 &o$s to send him na(ed %ictures o! themsel"es) He then used the %ictures * and the threat o! releasin them to the rest o! the hih school * to &lac(mail at least se"en &o$s# aes 2< to 2# into %er!ormin sex acts) 6
In 677@# ;onathan 4ance# 68# o! Au&urn# Ala&ama was sentenced to 2@ $ears in %rison a!ter he admitted sendin threatenin e*mails on Face&oo( and 9$S%ace extortin nude %hotos !rom more than <7 $oun women in Ala&ama# Penns$l"ania and 9issouri) 4ance %lead uilt$ to thirt$*!our criminal counts in"ol"in interstate extortion# interstate trans%ortation in aid o! extortion# !raud in connection with identi+cation in!ormation and authentication !eatures# attem%ted %roduction o! child %ornora%h$# and attem%ted enticement)
How )an I prote)t a"ainst Sextortion?
For ,arents +
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S%per-ise )hidren.s )o(p%ter or (o/ie de-i)e %sa"e0
De"ices li(e smart%hones are more di.cult to manae due to their mo&ilit$ and technical ca%a&ilities) As teenaers, &rains are not $et !ull$ de"elo%ed# the$ o!ten strule with antici%atin conseGuences or im%ulse control) It,s im%ortant to discuss with $our children a%%ro%riate uses !or de"ices when the$ are i"en access to them) This includes communicatin with others online and sendin %hotos) Parents ma$ want to maintain their child,s online account access in!ormation with the child,s understandin that the %arent can lo in at an$ time)
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Co((%ni)ate with &o%r )hidren0
Ha"e ae*a%%ro%riate discussions with $our child a&out the daners associated with communicatin with un(nown %eo%le online# sendin %hotos# or enain in other ris($ &eha"ior online) In an e3ort to %rotect children !rom online %redators# it,s im%ortant to educate them a&out sextortion and the moti"ations o! those who extort children) Let $our children (now the$ can come to $ou without !ear o! re%risal# and that $ou ha"e a enuine interest in their sa!et$ and online acti"ities) Those ex%loited throuh these crimes are "ictims# no matter what the$ did or how the$ res%onded to the threat)
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La&er se)%rit&0
Em%lo$ &asic technolo$ securit$ measures) >se stron %asswords and u%date so!tware reularl$) Ne"er o%en attachments to e*mails unless $ou are certain o! the sender) >se a +rewall# anti*malware so!tware# and consider use o! encr$%tion !or $our hard dri"e) ?ee% in mind that some malware attac(s are tareted5 meanin criminals ma$ customie their tools so that more sim%listic anti*malware %rorams do not detect them and "ictims are more a%t to ta(e the &ait) Do not assume technolo$ alone will %rotect $ou5 $ou must also do $our %art to %rotect $oursel!)
For Chidren+
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Turn o3 $our com%uter when $ou are not usin it)
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Co"er we&cams with a remo"a&le stic(er or ta%e when $ou are not usin them)
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Don,t o%en attachments when $ou,re not con+dent o! the sender)
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Ne"er send com%romisin imaes o! $oursel! to an$one# no matter who the$ are orwho the$ sa$ the$ are)
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I! someone $ou (now is &ein "ictimied throuh sextortion# re%ort it to $our %arents and encourae the "ictim to tal( to their %arents and re%ort it to the FBI)
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I! $ou are recei"in sextortion threats# don,t &e a!raid to tal( to $our %arents or to call the FBI):
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