The FBI on Monday issued a “national public safety alert” due to an increase in extortion scams aimed at thousands of children and teenagers, warning about the possibility that more Americans could be targeted over the Christmas holiday season.
In a news release, the bureau said that more than 3,000 minor victims were targeted in the past year and has received more than “7,000 reports related to the online financial sextortion of minors.” More than a dozen suicides were also associated with the trend, the FBI said.
