Jacksonville, Florida – The FBI’s biggest concern regarding children and their cell phones is the threat of sextortion.
Sextortion is when someone forces a child to take and send sexually explicit photos or videos and then threatens to release them if the child does not take and send more photos.
The FBI has seen a significant spike in financial sextortion. This is when criminals threaten to release compromising photos and videos unless they are paid.
To give you some perspective, the FBI received more than 13,000 reports of financial sextortion from October 2021 to March of last year.
In 2022 alone, FBI Jacksonville had 387 sextortion victims and lost more than $15 million in these schemes.
It typically targets boys between the ages of 14 and 17, but any child can become a victim.
Price can exceed money. The FBI announced that financial sextortion led to at least 20 suicides.
FBI Jacksonville will hold a “Be Smart” event Thursday at Creekside High School in St. Johns County from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to learn about the red flags of sextortion and steps parents can take to protect their children online. We will discuss in detail other measures that should be taken.
The event is free, and the FBI invites all parents and educators, but warns it may not be appropriate for children.
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