DANGER LURKING
Officials warn of growing problem of sextortion targeting youths
ONLINE THREATS
After Michelle’s teenage son was rushed to the hospital for suicidal ideations, he made a confession.
He said he was texting a girl his age, and the conversation turned sexual.
The girl asked for explicit photos of him. He complied.
“Almost immediately it turned into her asking him for money,” Michelle said. “It became very demanding and aggressive. I realized that this is not some teenage girl.”
The “girl” told Michelle’s son that she would send his explicit photos to his social media followers, including his mother, if he didn’t pay.
The coercion didn’t stop after Michelle blocked the number on her son’s phone. The perpetrator got back in touch using another number, at one point even threatening to report Michelle’s son to the FBI.
Michelle’s story is not uncommon: In 2022, law enforcement received more than 7,000 reports involving the online sexual extortion, or sextortion, of children and teens, according to the FBI.
Exeter presentation
Michelle’s case was shared via an FBI public service announcement played during a recent presentation by the Exeter School District and Exeter Township police.
Several dozen parents and students attended the event at Exeter High School, where Detective Sgt. Rocco DeCamillo spoke on the dangers that sexting and sextortion pose to those under 18.
Those dangers exist close to home.
DeCamillo said Exeter police have investigated multiple sextortion cases.
He said the problem is growing — between 2019 and 2021, the number of reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children involving sextortion more than doubled.
“Her (Michelle’s) son was having ideations of suicide,” DeCamillo said. “That’s what scares me the most because we’re seeing that with some of our cases here (in Exeter Township).”
DeCamillo noted that perpetrators of sextortion most often target boys ages 12 to 17 but that Exeter police have investigated cases involving children under 10.
A pattern
DeCamillo said many sextortion criminals follow a similar pattern: They pose as potential romantic partners, and contact children via social media using