Almost a third of the respondents said they were threatened daily. For 22 percent of the victims, the threats went on for more than 6 months.
“A boy sent pictures of me around and they circulated to the majority of the school. I was ostracized, objectified, alienated and made fun of for over 6 months of the school year,” said a victim.
Along with sexual images, victims were also encountering threatening behaviors like sexual assault, physical violence, hacking into accounts, and extorting money. The study shows perpetrators were successful in conducting their threats in 45 percent of the cases.
Many victims choose not to speak and seek help from friends and family, or from reporting to technology companies or authorities because of shame, embarrassment, and self-blame. Researchers found that only one in five sought help or reported the incident to the website or app, while only 16 percent reported cases to the police.
“The reason I didn’t want to speak up is because I was afraid of what the adults in my life might think of me. I thought it was all my fault and I figured that’s what they would tell me,” said a victim who was 14-years-old when the incident happened.
Multi-Platform Attacks
Perpetrators use numerous types of technological platforms, including social media networks, instant messaging apps, video sharing websites, email, and gaming sites. Around 45 percent of survey participants reported contact from perpetrators on more than one platform.
“This is one of the first sextortion studies that lets us hear the voice of the victims of this emerging crime,” said Julie Cordua, CEO of Thorn, who funded the study.
“Perpetrators are not making idle threats and often follow through with violence online and in person. Therefore, it is critical that parents and educators, policy makers, law enforcement, and the technology industry develop better ways of protecting and assisting young people.”
Boys Affected Too
Some internet incidents include young boys, said Parry Aftab, founder of WiredSafety and a cyber lawyer for cyberbullying, sextortion, and sexual exploitation on the internet, in a recent interview with Epoch Times.
The boys are often lured by beautiful women on a webcam and are seduced into taking off their clothes. A message then comes up from blackmailers, usually offshore, demanding money in exchange for the images. The blackmailers may ask for $500 in exchange for not releasing a photo of the minor.
“They fall for it,” said Aftab.
