Protect kids from criminal sextortion
“Wow, you are gorgeous.” Ben’s comment on Sarah’s recent Instagram post makes her smile.
Sarah is a 14-year-old from Arkansas who plays basketball, has a tight-knit friend group, loves her goldendoodle named Gracie, and comes from a caring home. Like most girls her age, Sarah is active on social media with easily discoverable Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat accounts. She prides herself on sharing funny content and keeps her username public so her friends’ friends can follow her online.
Recently, a boy named Ben has started posting sweet and flattering comments under Sarah’s Instagram photos. These comments make Sarah feel special, and she decides to direct message him. Ben doesn’t post a lot of photos, but he’s around the same age as Sarah and shares a lot of her interests.
Sarah starts to feel close to Ben after messaging him for a few weeks. She talks to him about her friends, her school, what her parents do, and gives him a tour of her house on Snapchat. She loves that he always asks her about herself, is always excited to get photos of Gracie, and is different than boys at her school.
They have never met in person because they live a few hours apart and Ben’s parents are strict. But thanks to social media and text messaging, the two have become pretty close friends.
After a few months, Sarah starts to view Ben as more than just a friend. Their relationship becomes romantic, and they stay awake into the early morning hours texting each other and sharing their feelings.
One night, Ben asks Sarah to send him a nude photo. Sarah declines at first, but Ben promises her no one will ever see the picture. “This will be something special between the two of us,” he says.
After months of chatting and texting, Sarah trusts Ben enough to send him a topless photo. Ben tells her she’s beautiful and makes her feel more special than ever before. A few days later, he asks for more nude photos, but adds that he wants to see her “pretty face” in the pictures.
Before she agrees, Sarah asks why Ben doesn’t ever send her any photos. He explains that he is self-conscious and embarrassed of his body, but that talking to Sarah has dramatically improved his confidence. Sarah decides to send Ben some fully nude photos.
A week later, Ben tells Sarah that he wants her to send a video of herself. Sarah is uncomfortable with the request, and even though Ben attempts to ease her worries, she firmly says no. Suddenly, Ben gets angry and threatens to post the nude photos she previously sent him unless she sends him a video of herself naked. He tells Sarah he will send the nude photos over social media to her friends, family, and even her grandparents.
Sarah is shocked, scared, and doesn’t know where to turn to for help. Seeing no way out of the situation and fearful of being rejected by her family and friends, she sends Ben the video he wanted.
The naked video of Sarah, along with her old nude photos, are quickly posted on several Dark Web pages where predators can view and exchange child pornography. Sarah tries to end the relationship with Ben, but he threatens to expose her unless she does exactly what he tells her.
Over the next few weeks, Sarah becomes increasingly distressed, starts failing classes, and quits her basketball team. Every single night, she clings to Gracie as she cries herself to sleep.
It turns out that Ben is a 56-yearold convicted sex offender who lives in another state and has done this to over a dozen different girls. Just like his other victims, he manipulated Sarah into a horrible situation with no easy way out.
How could this have been prevented?
This story is just one example of how predators groom minors, then sextort them. The crime of sextortion involves children and teens being threatened and coerced by adults into sending explicit images. Every day, a child in Arkansas is a victim of sextortion.
While Sarah’s story is fictional, there are thousands of very real cases similar to it which happen each year. In 2020, FBI Little Rock opened more Violent Crimes Against Children cases than ever before.
Although child predators remain a major threat, children and parents can take proactive measures to combat these vile criminals.
Children and teens need to be vigilant when communicating with anyone online. Sharing personal details or photos with someone they’ve never met in person is risky. Privacy settings on social media accounts are useful, but education about online predators is vital for children who have easy access to phones, tablets, and computers.
People should also be mindful that the backgrounds of photos posted on social media can contain sensitive information which helps predators identify their victims. School uniforms, license plates, and even tagging friends on easily discoverable social media accounts gives predators personal information and helps them build a detailed profile of new targets.
Finally, everyone should understand that content shared online or over phone apps never truly disappears.
Parents and guardians also play a huge role in keeping children safe online. FBI agents agree that open lines of communication and a solid educational foundation are crucial in defending kids against predators.
When it comes to online safety, kids need parents who are involved! Don’t hesitate to put limits on your child’s Internet use, check their phones and devices randomly and frequently, learn about the apps they use, and question them about the people they talk to online.
Review your child’s posts and encourage them to ask for guidance before posting anything online. Most importantly, be someone they can come to when they encounter questionable situations online—then contact us if you believe your child is a victim of sextortion or any other crime.
Our agents help sextortion victims every day in Arkansas, but we know there are other victims who never reach out to us. The FBI is always here to help victims of sextortion and combat predators who target our kids. We want to protect our community, educate Arkansas families about the threats which lurk online, and bring criminals to justice.
Reach out to the FBI at 1-800CALL-FBI with any tips or information you may have about potential federal crimes.