Sextortion Rates Drop in Australia, 100 Children per Month Still Targeted

Sextortion is a form of blackmail where individuals threaten to share private images or videos unless demands are met.

An example of texts used by predators to entice children into compromising situations as featured in "Sextortion: The Hidden Pandemic." Auris Media

Australian sextortion reports have slid for the first time since 2022. However, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are still worried that too many victims are being blackmailed.

Sextortion is a type of blackmail where someone can threaten to share private and intimate images or videos unless demands are met.

The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received 560 reports of sextortion in the first six months of 2024.

This equates to an average of 93 reports per month in the first six months of 2024, down from 300 reports a month in the 2023 calendar year.

AFP Human Exploitation Commander Helen Schneider said police believed the fall in sextortion reports was due to multiple factors.

“Increased public awareness, especially of parents and young people themselves, combined with the AFP’s work with partners like AUSTRAC are likely making it harder for criminals to exploit children online,” she said.

Schneider noted the AFP had worked closely with AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial crime monitoring organisation, and financial institutions to make Australia a hostile environment for organised criminals.

“Our intelligence indicates how effective we have been, with organised criminals regularly complaining to each other online about how difficult it is to extract money from young people in Australia,” she said.

Law enforcement has been actively working with the financial sector to close bank accounts in Australia linked to international organised crime syndicates involved in extortion.

Under Operation Huntsman, authorities have closed more than 1,800 Australian bank, financial service, and digital currency accounts linked to offshore organised criminals sexually extorting Australian teenagers.

AFP Continue Efforts to Reduce Victim Numbers

While the AFP welcomed the trend of fewer sextortion reports, they expressed concern about a large number of children still being targeted.

“Although the reports have dropped, this is still an under-reported crime, and the sad reality is that we still receiving almost 100 reports of children in Australia being targeted by criminals every month,” Schneider said.

“That is why the AFP will continue to make Australia a hostile environment for those who seek to exploit our children during National Child Protection Week and every week.”

Signs a child could be a victim of sextortion include sudden sexualised questions in conversation, instantly receiving sexual images from a profile, and then being asked for the same in return.

Other signs include a random friend or follow requests from unknown individuals, receiving direct messages on an app and then being redirected to a different app, and fake profiles that say they promise to delete content.

“The fake profile might say that their webcam or microphone is not working for video calls/chats to confirm their identity,” the AFP said.

The AFP recommended victims of sextortion to end the conversation, take screenshots of the text and profile, block the account, get help from a trusted friend or family member, and seek professional support.

Further, they recommended reporting the crime to the ACCCE and advised against responding to any demands or entering any further communication.

“Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000,” the AFP said.

Meanwhile, AUSTRAC Acting National Manager Law Enforcement and Industry Anthony Helmond said access to the internet and the ease of online financial transactions had put vulnerable groups worldwide within easy reach of criminals.

“By pooling our intelligence and capabilities, we’re able to identify and fight criminals who are targeting young Australians through sextortion,” he said.

AUSTRAC said their ability to follow money trails and work with industry had resulted in many account closures of those supporting offshore organised criminals seeking to extort Australians sexually.

“Government and industry are working closely together to keep the community safe by tackling this insidious crime,” he said.

Global Issue

Meanwhile, global sextortion cases surged to 26,718 in 2023, up from 10,731 in the 2022 calendar year, data reported to the U.S. National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children reveals.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill in July asking for the education board to consider warning about the dangers of sextortion in the state’s public schools.

In the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) issued an alert (pdf) warning education professionals that globally, there had been a “large increase in reports of children and young people” targeted for sextortion.

“These groups target all ages and genders; however, a large proportion of cases have involved male victims aged 14-18,” the NCA said.