Australian National Review – Sextortion rates fall in Australia, 100 children a month still targeted

Sextortion is a form of blackmail in which people threaten to share private photos or videos if demands are not met.

In Australia, reports of sextortion have fallen for the first time since 2022. However, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are still concerned that too many victims are being blackmailed.

Sextortion is a form of blackmail in which someone threatens to share personal and intimate images or videos if demands are not met.

The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received 560 reports of sextortion in the first six months of 2024.

This amounts to an average of 93 reports per month in the first six months of 2024, a decrease compared to 300 reports per month in calendar year 2023.

Helen Schneider, commander of AFP’s Human Exploitation Unit, said police believe the drop in reports of sextortion is due to several factors.

“Increased public awareness, particularly among parents and young people themselves, combined with the AFP working with partners such as AUSTRAC, is likely to make it more difficult for criminals to exploit children online,” she said.

Schneider noted that the AFP had worked closely with AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial crime watchdog, and financial institutions to make Australia a hostile environment for organised crime.

“Our intelligence indicates how effective we have been, as organised criminals regularly complain to each other online about how difficult it is to extort money from young people in Australia,” she said.

Law enforcement is actively working with the financial sector to close bank accounts in Australia linked to international criminal organisations engaged in extortion.

Under Operation Huntsman, authorities have closed more than 1,800 Australian bank, financial and digital currency accounts linked to organised criminals who sexually extort Australian teenagers.

AFP continues efforts to reduce casualties

While the AFP welcomed the drop in reports of sextortion, it expressed concern that the large number of children are still being targeted.

“Although the number of reports has decreased, this is still an underreported crime. The sad reality is that we still receive almost 100 reports a month of children in Australia being targeted by criminals,” Schneider said.

“That is why the AFP will continue to turn Australia into a hostile environment for those who seek to exploit our children, during National Child Protection Week and every week.”

Signs that a child may be a victim of sextortion include suddenly asking sexually suggestive questions in a conversation, receiving sexual images directly from a profile and then asking for the same images again.

Other signs include random friend or follow requests from unknown people, receiving direct messages on one app and then being redirected to another app, and fake profiles promising to remove content.

“The fake profile might say that their webcam or microphone is not working for video calls/chats to confirm their identity,” the AFP said.

The AFP advised victims of sextortion to end the conversation, take screenshots of the text and profile, block the account, seek help from a trusted friend or family member and seek professional help.

They further advised reporting the crime to the ACCCE and advised not to respond to any demands or engage in further communication.

“Members of the public with information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know of any abuse currently taking place or a child at risk, call police immediately on 000,” the AFP said.

Anthony Helmond, Acting National Manager for Law Enforcement and Industry at AUSTRAC, said access to the internet and the ease of online financial transactions made vulnerable groups around the world easily accessible to criminals.

“By pooling our knowledge and capabilities, we can identify and combat criminals who target young Australians through sextortion,” he said.

According to AUSTRAC, their ability to track money flows and work with the industry has led to the closure of many accounts of people supporting organised criminals overseas who seek to sexually extort Australians.

“Government and industry are working closely together to keep the community safe by tackling this devious crime,” he said.

Global problem

Meanwhile, the number of sextortion cases worldwide rose to 26,718 in 2023, compared to 10,731 in calendar year 2022, according to data reported to the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill in July asking the state Board of Education to consider warning about the dangers of sextortion in the state’s public schools.

In the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has issued an alert (pdf) warning education professionals that there has been a “significant increase in reports of children and young people” being targeted by sextortion globally.

“These groups target all ages and genders; however, a large proportion of cases involve male victims aged 14 to 18,” the NCA said.