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Sextortion

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A mockup example of a sextortion text message. After gaining naked photographs or videos of the victim, the scammer then threatens the publication of these pictures or to send them to close friends and family members. A demand of money is then made, though usually the scam is either a bluff (e.g. the scammer never intended to publish them) or the pictures/videos are published regardless even if the money is sent.[1]

Sextortion (a portmanteau of sex and extortion) employs non-physical forms of coercion to extort sexual favors from the victim. Sextortion refers to the broad category of sexual exploitation in which abuse of power is the means of coercion, as well as to the category of sexual exploitation in which threatened release of sexual images or information is the means of coercion.[2]

As used to describe an abuse of power, sextortion is a form of corruption[3] in which people entrusted with power – such as government officials, judges, educators, law enforcement personnel, and employers – seek to extort sexual favors in exchange for something within their authority to grant or withhold.[4][5][6][7][8] Examples of such abuses of power include: government officials who request sexual favors to obtain licenses or permits,[9][10] teachers who trade good grades for sex with students,[11][12] and employers who make providing sexual favors a condition of obtaining a job or getting promoted.[citation needed]. A Transparency International report on sextortion noted some challenges in prosecuting sextortion under existing anti-corruption and gender-based violence legal frameworks.[13]

Sextortion also refers to a form of blackmail in which sexual information or images are used to extort money or sexual favors from the victim.[14][15] Social media and text messages are often the source of the sexual material and the threatened means of sharing it with others. An example of this type of sextortion is where people are extorted with a nude image of themselves they shared on the Internet through sexting. They are later coerced into giving money, or performing sexual acts with the person doing the extorting or are coerced into posing or performing sexually on camera, thus producing hardcore pornography.[16][15] This method of blackmail is also frequently used to out LGBT people who keep their true sexual orientation private.[17]

A video highlighting the dangers of sextortion has been released by the National Crime Agency[18] in the UK to educate people, especially given the fact that blackmail of a sexual nature may cause humiliation to a sufficient extent to cause the victim to take their own life,[19] in addition to other efforts to educate the public on the risks of sextortion.[20]

Webcam blackmail

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See also: Cybersex trafficking

Sextortion using webcam content is concerning, especially for those who use them for flirting and cybersex.[20][19] Often this involves a cybercriminal posing as someone else – such as an attractive person – initiating communication of a sexual nature with the victim (about 95% of victims are male).[19] Often, the cybercriminal simply shows the victim a pre-recorded video of a performer from a cybersex webcam site which they are sufficiently familiar with, then messages the victim at points in the video where the performer appears to be typing on the keyboard, to give the illusion that the performer in the video is messaging them.[21] The victim is then persuaded to undress in front of a webcam, and may also be persuaded to engage in sexual behaviour, such as masturbation.[21] The video is recorded by the cybercriminal, who then reveals their true intent and demands money or other services (such as more explicit images of the victim, in cases of online predation), and threatening to publicly release the video to video services like YouTube and send it to family members and friends of the victim if they do not comply. Sometimes threats to make false allegations of paedophilia against the victim are made as well.[21] This is known as webcam blackmail.[22] An increase in webcam blackmails have been reported, and it affects both young and old, male and female alike.[23][24] Webcam blackmail is also connected with webcam trolling.[25]

History

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An early use of the term appears in print in 1950 in California.[26]

Since early 2009, The Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication (iroc2.org) began warning the public about the trend of "Sextortion" via live events and websites including www.sextortion.org. This is a trend that grew based on the birth and growth of the trend known as "sexting" whereby compromising images and videos were being shared by individuals without a real understanding of the short and long term consequences of sharing "private" content on digital tools designed for sharing.

In 2009, the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), in partnership with the Association of Women Judges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Philippine Women Judges Association, and the Tanzania Women Judges Association, and with funding from the Government of the Netherlands, launched a three-year program on "Stopping the Abuse of Power through Sexual Exploitation: Naming, Shaming, and Ending Sextortion."[27] Presentations on sextortion were made to judges attending the 2010[28] and 2012 Biennial World Conferences of the IAWJ[29][30] and to NGOs attending the 2011[31] and 2012 meetings of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.[4]

There are also scientific studies describing the prevalence of sextortion in Europe, etc. in the Czech Republic (2017).[32]

In China, there are cases of sextortion as part of predatory lending to students.[33]

In 2022, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection noted a tripling of cases compared to previous years and a change away from female victims being sextorted for images towards young male victims being sextorted for money.[15]

In 2023, the U.S. saw a 150% rise in sextortion attempts according to data by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). [34][35]

Incidents

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"Special Agent Nickolas Savage discusses 'sextortion' and the dangers kids face online."
A speech by Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Nickolas Savage on "sextortion" (extorting sexual images) and other hazards that children using the internet may face
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Incidents of sextortion have been prosecuted under various criminal statutes, including as extortion,[36][37][38] bribery,[39] breach of trust,[40] corruption,[41] sexual coercion,[37][42] sexual exploitation,[16] sexual assault,[38] child pornography,[38][43] and computer hacking and wiretapping.[44]

  • Anthony Stancl of Wisconsin, then 18, received 15 years in prison in February 2010 after he posed as a girl on Facebook to trick male high school classmates into sending him nude cell phone photos, which he then used to extort them for homosexual sex.[38]
  • Jonathan Vance of Auburn, Alabama, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in April 2010 after sending threatening e-mails on Facebook and MySpace extorting nude photos from more than 50 women in three states.[16]
  • Luis Mijangos was sentenced to six years in prison in September 2011 for hacking into dozens of computers, stealing personal information and demanding naked images from female victims in exchange for not releasing the stolen information. Forty-four of the victims were under age 18.[45]
  • Isaac Baichu, a federal immigration officer in New York, was sentenced to 1+1⁄2 to 4+1⁄2 years in prison in July 2010 after demanding sex from a 22-year-old Colombian woman in exchange for a green card.[42]
  • Steve Ellis, an immigration adjudicator in Toronto, was sentenced to 18 months in jail in July 2010 after telling a South Korean woman he would approve her refugee claim in exchange for sex.[40]
  • Michael Ngilangwa, a secondary school teacher in Tanzania, was sentenced to pay a fine or serve one year in prison in June 2011 after demanding sexual favors from his student in exchange for favorable exam results.[41]
  • Christopher Patrick Gunn, 31, of Montgomery, Alabama was indicted for using fake Facebook profiles to extort nude photos and videos from underage girls in numerous states.[43] He got 35 years in federal prison after being convicted.[46]
  • In May 2010, the police of the Basque Country in Spain arrested a 24-year-old man accused of blackmailing a woman he met on an online chatroom and threatening to distribute nude photographs of her from her webcam.[47]
  • A video of the Chinese Communist Party official Lei Zhengfu having sex with a woman was a part of a sextortion plot by a criminal gang.[48][49]
  • In 2013, Daniel Perry committed suicide hours after falling victim to webcam blackmail.[50]
  • Anton Martynenko was sentenced to 38 years in a federal prison, after victimizing over 155 teenage boys by making around 50 fake accounts on Facebook, often those of young women, to convince the victims to send him nude photos.[51] The accounts were also used to spread the explicit photos and videos of the victims to their high school classmates, with one boy's photos being sold on the dark web. In addition, three boys were blackmailed into meeting up with Martynenko and performing sex acts with him; two of the victims later committed suicide. Martynenko is considered the largest producer of child pornography in Minnesota history.[52]
  • Jared Abrahams was sentenced to 18 months in jail[53] after using Google Dorking [54] to commit sextortion crimes against Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf along with around 150 other women.
  • Main article: United States v. Ogoshi
    Samuel Ogoshi, 22, Samson Ogoshi, 20, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, all of Lagos, Nigeria reportedly targeted hundreds of teenagers and adults in the United States posing as young women whose accounts had been hacked on Instagram. The three men would reportedly ask for nude pictures and then threaten to release the photos unless the victim paid them money. One victim, Jordan DeMay, 17, of Michigan, committed suicide after they threatened to release a nude photo of him if he failed to pay them $1,000 US, prompting the United States to file the proper motions to extradite them. Their cases are pending and they face over thirty years in prison if convicted.[55][56] It was reported in August 2023 that Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, brothers, had been extradited to the United States and had gone before a federal judge in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[57] The Ogoshi brothers pled guilty to sexually extorting teenage boys and young men in April 2024, and were sentenced to 17.5 years in prison in September 2024.[58][59] U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten stated: “[The] guilty pleas represent an extraordinary success in the prosecution of international sextortion. These convictions will send a message to criminals in Nigeria and every corner of the globe: working with our partners both here and overseas, we can find you and we can bring you to justice.”[60]

References

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  1. ^ Nir, Sarah Maslin (15 May 2024). "What to do if You Are Threatened with Sextortion". The New York Times.
  2. ^ De la Cerna, Madrilena (April 15, 2012). "Sextortion". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
  3. ^ "How to curb sextortion, violence against women – Amaechi". Punch. Nigeria. July 2, 2012. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-05. 'Sextortion is the currency of corruption and eats the fabric of society and it is in all sectors of the society,' [Justice Binta Nyako] said.
  4. ^ a b "CSW Wraps up Second Week of Work". School Sisters of Notre Dame. March 9, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
  5. ^ "11th Biennial World Conference of the IAWJ, London 2012, Keeping Safe – Keeping Well" (PDF). Provincial Judges' Journal. 35 (1). The Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges: 58. Summer 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-05. Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation and corruption that occurs when people in positions of authority – whether government officials, judges, educators, law enforcement personnel, or employers – seek to extort sexual favours in exchange for something within their power to grant or withhold.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Mayol, Ador Vincent; Matus, Carmel Loise (March 4, 2011). "Lady judges: 'End sextortion'". Cebu Daily News. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-05. When a boss asks an employee to have sex with him in exchange for a job promotion, that's 'sextortion,' a female magistrate said yesterday. So is a teacher seeking sexual favors from a student seeking better grades.
  7. ^ Soyingbe, Anthonia (July 4, 2012). "Sextortion: Checkmating this new alias for bribe in Nigeria". Daily Independent. Nigeria. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-05. Sextortion ... is basically about an element of abuse of power by somebody entrusted with authority and somebody who is seeking either an advantage or justice from that person who holds the clout. And sadly, it is in all spheres of life – the judiciary, executive, legislator, media, police, army and indeed, every sector of the Nigerian life.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Jundu, Hon. Fakihi A.R. (December 2, 2010). "ILO – Speech by Hon. Fakihi A. R. Jundu, Principal Judge". Judiciary.go.tz. Retrieved 2012-10-05. Another global plight ... is the one dubbed 'Sextortion' … [t]hese harassers insist on sexual favours in exchange for benefits they can dispense because of their positions in hierarchies including getting or keeping a job, favourable grades, recommendations, credentials, projects, promotion, orders, and other types of opportunities.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Ozler, Berk (February 16, 2012). "When it comes to female education, have we gotten it all backwards?". Blogs.worldbank.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved 2012-10-05. Mary Hallward-Driemeier … quantifie[d] the stories we all heard working in Africa: running a small business as a woman is also treacherous business. Many say they had to exchange sex with a person of authority (person in charge of a permit, border police, etc.) or a supplier in order to be able to go about their business.
  10. ^ "2012 State of the Field in Youth Economic Opportunities – A Guide for Programming, Policymaking, and Partnership Building" (PDF). Making Cents International. 2012. p. 84. 'Sextortion,' researched by Mary Hallward Driemeier, Lead Economist for Financial and Private Sector Development at the World Bank Group, is where sexual favors are traded instead of money for routine business dealings.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ Fatoorehchi, Cléo (February 27, 2011). "Time to Drag Sextortion into the Light". Inter Press Service. Retrieved 2012-10-05. In their 2010 book 'Half the Sky', Pulitzer Prize-winners Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn write about a disturbing but not uncommon problem in Southern Africa – male teachers who trade good grades for sex with students. … There's a word for this – 'sextortion'.
  12. ^ Kujenya, Joke (June 28, 2012). "How randy judge killed five women, wife, by Justice Nyako". The Nation. Nigeria. Retrieved 2012-10-05. It is no longer a hidden complaint how students complain about lecturers demanding for sex for them to get good grades. So, if these instances are something that have been with us, then sextortion is also an age-long problem within our society ...[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Breaking the Silence around Sextortion: The Links between Power, Sex…". Transparency.org. 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  14. ^ "Understanding Sextortion: More Than Just Blackmail". 2024-06-28. Sextortion is a form of blackmail where perpetrators threaten to reveal intimate images or videos unless the victim complies with their demands. This heinous act not only violates privacy but also leaves victims feeling vulnerable and powerless.
  15. ^ a b c Sarah, Petz (4 Aug 2022). "Teen boys make up majority of victims of recently reported sextortion crimes, new data shows". CBC.
  16. ^ a b c "Feds: Online 'sextortion' of teens on the rise". Associated Press. August 24, 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-14. A stranger said he had captured her image on the webcam and would post the pictures to her MySpace friends unless she posed for more explicit pictures and videos for him. On at least two occasions, the teen did what her blackmailer demanded. Finally, police and federal authorities became involved and indicted a 19-year-old Maryland man in June on charges of sexual exploitation. ... One federal affidavit includes a special term for the crime: sextortion.
  17. ^ "SEXTORTION DILEMMA – BARING 'PLOT' WOULD EXPOSE GAY LIFE: MCG". 15 September 2006. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  18. ^ "'Sextortion': NCA releases awareness video". BBC News. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  19. ^ a b c "Webcam blackmail cases have doubled, police say". BBC News. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  20. ^ a b "Sextortion (webcam blackmail)". Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  21. ^ a b c "The Skype sex scam - a fortune built on shame". BBC News. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Blackmail fraudsters target webcam daters". BBC. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  23. ^ "Miss Teen USA hacker pleads guilty to 'sextortion' threats". BBC News. BBC News Technology. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
  24. ^ "Beware of Webcam Blackmail". GetSafeOnline.org. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  25. ^ Kopecký, Kamil; Szotkowski, René (May 2017). "Cyberbullying, cyber aggression and their impact on the victim – The teacher". Telematics and Informatics. 34 (2): 506–517. doi:10.1016/j.tele.2016.08.014. ISSN 0736-5853.
  26. ^ "Sextortion Charges To Come Up Next Week". Los Angeles Times. April 5, 1950.
  27. ^ "Stopping the Abuse of Power through Sexual Exploitation: Naming, Shaming and Ending Sextortion – Toolkit" (PDF). International Association of Women Judges. 2012. p. 5. Retrieved 2012-10-05.[permanent dead link]
  28. ^ "10th Biennial International Conference: 'Judicial Challenges in a Changing World'". International Association of Women Judges. Retrieved 2012-10-05.[permanent dead link]
  29. ^ Gibb, Frances (May 31, 2012). "Attacks and threats: why judges need support". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 2016-01-29. Retrieved 2012-10-05. Judges discussed 'sextortion' a mix of sex and corruption where people in authority demand sexual favours for anything, Hale says, from immigration to prosecution decisions.
  30. ^ "International forum encourages judges to 'mind the gap'". The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. May 31, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-05.[permanent dead link]
  31. ^ "Ending the Abuse of Power through Sexual Exploitation: Naming, Shaming, and Ending Sextortion. IAWJ Panel @UN CSW". Inter Press Service. February 23, 2011. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
  32. ^ Kopecký, Kamil (February 2017). "Online blackmail of Czech children focused on so-called "sextortion" (analysis of culprit and victim behaviors)". Telematics and Informatics. 34 (1): 11–19. doi:10.1016/j.tele.2016.04.004. ISSN 0736-5853.
  33. ^ "After spate of suicides, China targets predatory student lending". Reuters. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  34. ^ Tennyson, Teresa (June 21, 2024). ""Sextortion… How to Navigate It and Deter Further Attempts"". The Daily Muck.
  35. ^ Vaughan, Emma Henderson (April 15, 2024). "NCMEC Releases New Sextortion Data". NCMEC.
  36. ^ Leibowitz, Barry (June 23, 2010). "Hacker Sex-tortion: FBI Alleges Man Blackmailed Women into Making Sex Videos". Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-08-14. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles says 31-year-old Luis Mijangos hacked into computers to obtain personal data to extort sexually explicit videos, in exchange for keeping his victims' information private.
  37. ^ a b Hickerson, Patrick (April 17, 2009). "Alabama predator sentenced to 18 years for Facebook extortion attempts: How he got access". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2012-10-05. Vance … pleaded guilty in January to several charges including enticing or coercing someone into illegal sexual activity and violating the interstate communications law by extorting something of value and threatening to ruin someone's reputation.[permanent dead link]
  38. ^ a b c d Seibel, Jacqui; Johnson, Mike (February 4, 2009). "New Berlin student charged with blackmailing students into sex acts in Facebook deception". Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee. Retrieved 2012-10-05. A criminal complaint filed today charges Stancl with the bomb threats plus repeated sexual assault of same child (at least three violations of first or second degree sexual assault), possession of child pornography, second and third degree sexual assaults and five counts of child enticement.[permanent dead link]
  39. ^ Bernstein, Nina (April 14, 2010). "Immigration Officer Guilty in Sexual Coercion Case". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-05. A federal immigration officer who was caught on tape demanding sex in exchange for a green card pleaded guilty to ... felony charges of receiving a bribe and receiving a reward for official misconduct, and to misdemeanor charges of sexual misconduct, coercion and official misconduct.
  40. ^ a b Kari, Shannon (July 29, 2010). "Sex scandal gets immigration judge 18-month jail sentence". National Post. Toronto. Retrieved 2012-10-05. A former immigration adjudicator in Toronto who promised to approve the refugee claim of a South Korean woman in exchange for sex, has been sentenced to 18 months in jail. … Ellis, 50, was convicted this spring of breach of trust under the Criminal Code and of violating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
  41. ^ a b "Stopping the Abuse of Power for Purposes of Sexual Exploitation: Naming, Shaming, and Ending Sextortion – a Toolkit" (PDF). Iawj.org. Tanzania Women Judges Association. 2011. p. 14. Retrieved 2012-10-05. … Michael Ngilangwa … was charged under Section 25 of the Prevention of Corruption Act No. 11 of 2007 for demanding … sexual intercourse as a condition for favouring [the complainant] in English and Divinity examination results and other preferential treatment. He was convicted and sentenced to pay a fine of Tshs. 500,000/= or serve a term of imprisonment for one year.[permanent dead link]
  42. ^ a b Bernstein, Nina (July 23, 2010). "Immigration Officer Sentenced in Sex-Coercion Case". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
  43. ^ a b "FBI — Montgomery Man Accused of Online Sextortion Plot Jailed on Federal Child Pornography Charges". Fbi.gov. Archived from the original on 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2012-04-29. ()
  44. ^ Risling, Greg (September 1, 2011). "Luis Mijangos Sentenced To 6 Years For 'Sextortion'". Associated Press. Retrieved 2012-10-05. Mijangos … pleaded guilty to one count each of computer hacking and wiretapping in March ….
  45. ^ "Hacker gets 6 years in prison for 'sextortion' scheme". CNN. Cable News Network. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  46. ^ "Child Predator is Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for His Massive Online Sextortion Scheme". Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2013. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  47. ^ "Detenido por chantajear a una mujer con imágenes robadas de su webcam" (in Spanish). El Correo. May 25, 2010.
  48. ^ "Buzzwords Feb. 17 性敲诈 sextortion." (Archive) Shanghai Daily. Retrieved on April 2, 2013.
  49. ^ "Lei Zhengfu: China sacks 'sex tape' Chongqing official." BBC. November 23, 2012. Retrieved on April 2, 2013.
  50. ^ Teenager's death sparks cyber-blackmailing probe
  51. ^ "His massive 'sextortion' scheme snared 155 boys. Now, he's going to prison for decades". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  52. ^ Tribune, Stephen Montemayor Star (14 December 2016). "Martynenko gets 38 years in prison for teen sexploitation scheme". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  53. ^ HARTLEY, ERIC. "TEMECULA: Man gets 18 months for 'sextortion' of Miss Teen USA, others".
  54. ^ Kashman, Star (2023). "GOOGLE DORKING OR LEGAL HACKING: FROM THE CIA COMPROMISE TO YOUR CAMERAS AT HOME, WE ARE NOT AS SAFE AS WE THINK". Wash. J. L. Tech. & Arts. 18 (2).
  55. ^ Hutchinson, Derick (2023-05-04). "3 Nigerians charged after Michigan teen dies by suicide while being blackmailed with nude photo". WDIV. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  56. ^ 3 Nigerians charged after Michigan teen dies by suicide while being blackmailed with nude photo, 4 May 2023, retrieved 2023-06-14
  57. ^ Nigerians appear in Grand Rapids court in sextortion case, 14 August 2023, retrieved 2024-01-30
  58. ^ "Nigerian brothers plead guilty to sexual extortion after death of Michigan teen - CBS Detroit". CBS News. 2024-04-11. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  59. ^ Madani, Doha (2024-09-05). "2 Nigerians sentenced to over 17 years in 'sextortion' case that led to Michigan teen's suicide". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  60. ^ "Western District of Michigan | Two Nigerian Defendants Plead Guilty to Sextortion | United States Department of Justice". U.S. Department of Justice. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
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