Sextortion schemes target young boys

The Columbia FBI office warns parents and caregivers about a rise in national incidents involving the sextortion of children over the internet.  Sextortion is a crime.  It is illegal for an adult to ask for, pay for, or demand graphic images, also known as child sex abuse material, from a minor.  If convicted, offenders face penalties up to life in prison.  The FBI has reports of adults on social media and online gaming system, posing as adolescents, who coerce children to produce sexual images and videos, and then extort money from them.  After they have sent the material, the predator informs them that they will post the content online if the victim does not send money.