A BBC investigation has discovered that criminals are selling guides on social media, instructing people on how to commit sextortion. Over the past few years, police have attempted to spread awareness of this highly pernicious crime. Indeed, in April 2024, the National Crime Agency (NCA) sent an “unprecedented” alert to teachers after cases surged worldwide.

Sextortion is typically committed by organised crime gangs and, more often than not, targets young vulnerable people. It’s become one of the most common forms of online crime.

Sextortion is the short name for “financially motivated sexual extortion.” Described by the Met Police as “a type of online blackmail where criminals threaten to share sexual pictures, videos, or information about you,” sextortion primarily targets young people and is an incredibly violating and traumatising form of crime.

Paul Raffile, an intelligence professional and expert on sextortion, spoke with the BBC about the offence and how it’s quickly become highly popular among organised gangs and individuals looking to squeeze money out of people: “Internet scammers over these past two years have found out that they can get very rich very quickly by scamming an untapped market.”

Noting how teenage boys in particular are currently the prime target, Raffle continued: “They are finding their victims by going on social media platforms and searching for high schools and youth sports teams, and then ‘following’ or ‘friending’.”

One alleged perpetrator is 33-year-old Olamide Shanu. Appearing in court on Tuesday 28 May 2024, Shanu is accused of being behind an international blackmail scam where he posed as a girl online to persuade teenagers to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves.

Shanu is purported to be a part of a crime gang that made approximately £2 million conducting these sextortion schemes. According to Metro, in one instance, an alleged victim paid him £240 a week under a payment plan until he had given him almost £8,000.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) published a report in September 2023, finding that in the first six months of 2023 reports of confirmed child sexual abuse involving ‘sextortion’ surged by 257% compared with the whole of 2022.

The BBC’s findings clearly show that criminals are now selling sextortion guides online. These step-by-step instructions show potential offenders how to set up untraceable phone numbers, create fake social media profiles and use secure payment methods.

Sextortion is an incredibly distressing crime and a lot of people might not feel comfortable speaking out or contacting the authorities, but the most important thing to remember is that, as a victim, you are not at fault and should be respected and listened to when alerting the police.

First and foremost, it’s important to always be on the lookout for potential scammers. If someone is repeatedly asking you to send sexually explicit images or making you feel uncomfortable, cease contact immediately. Reviewing your privacy settings is also crucial. 

Save all evidence of interactions. The more screenshots, messages, images, usernames, email addresses, and bank account details that you have, the higher the likelihood that police may be able to trace the offender.

Ros Dowey’s son Murray committed suicide after he was tricked into sending compromising pictures by criminals posing as a girl online. Speaking with the BBC, Dowey said: “They’ve totally destroyed our family.”

As part of its widespread alert, the NCA has urged parents, teachers, and carers, to “take away the stigma” surrounding sextortion, hoping that it will mean teenagers will feel comfortable coming forward if they ever fall victim to this horrific crime.