KSFR reporter Mary Lou Cooper talked with fraud expert Steven Weisman about financial sextortion of teenage boys.
Sextortion is what happens when a con artist pretends to be a young girl seeking sexually explicit videos or photos of a young teenage boy “she” meets while playing an on-line video or on social media.
In reality, the sextortionist is likely to be an adult male from West Africa or some far-flung country who is masquerading as a young girl. Once the targeted boy provides sexual videos, the game is up. The scammer then blackmails the boy, demanding substantial sums of money to keep from publishing the video or photo.
According to the FBI, these financial sextortion crimes have increased in recent years involving thousands of victims and at least 20 suicides.
Weisman advises parents to speak frankly with teens about sextortion. Teens should be made aware that sharing explicit sexual activity on-line can result in extortion and public embarrassment.
If you or someone you know believes they are a victim of sextortion, report it to the FBI by dialing 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Steven Weisman is a frequent guest on KSFR talking about consumer scams. He is the publisher of the consumer protection newsletter Scamicide. Weisman is also an attorney and professor of white-collar crime at Bentley University in Amherst, Massachusetts.
