Rising Threat of Sextortion Gangs Targeting British Teenage Boys

The National Crime Agency has issued warnings about Nigerian crime gangs targeting British teenage boys through sextortion on social media platforms. Boys as young as 14 are being coerced into sending explicit images and subsequently blackmailed. An awareness campaign has been launched to educate victims on how to respond safely and effectively to these threats, emphasizing the importance of not paying blackmailers.

Recent reports from the National Crime Agency (NCA) indicate that Nigerian crime gangs are increasingly targeting British teenage boys through online sexual extortion, commonly referred to as “sextortion.” These criminals exploit platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, tricking boys as young as 14 into sharing explicit images, which they later use to blackmail the victims for payments typically around £100.

Notably, although the majority of child sexual exploitation victims are female, approximately 90% of sextortion victims in the UK are boys aged 14 to 17. Victims face threats of having their explicit content shared with their families and peers if they refuse to pay the demanded sums. The NCA has identified that, alongside Nigeria, perpetrators often operate from the Ivory Coast and the Philippines.

Marie Smith, a senior manager at the NCA’s child exploitation and online protection command, described the situation as “extremely disturbing.” Smith noted that offenders predominantly originate from West African nations and employ deceptive profiles of young women to entice boys into sending inappropriate images in exchange for explicit content. Once in possession of these images, gang members swiftly demand payment, often imposing tight timelines before issuing threats of exposure.

While the campaign focuses on teenagers, it is important to acknowledge that adults up to the age of 30 have also been victims of these scams. Tragically, some individuals have taken their own lives due to the distress caused by the fear of image dissemination. The NCA has initiated an awareness campaign aimed at encouraging victims to remain composed and not to engage with the blackmailers.

Marie Smith cautions, “Do not pay – stay calm. We can help. If you pay once, they will just demand more.” The NCA is collaborating with enforcement authorities in Nigeria to dismantle these criminal networks. Smith emphasized the international effort to defend victims, stating, “We’re working internationally with our Nigerian counterparts, which is where we’re seeing most of this abuse happening. Nothing is off the cards and we hope to hold these criminals accountable.”

The campaign will launch to engage boys aged 15 to 17 via social media platforms, informing them about sextortion strategies and safe reporting practices. NCA Director of Threat Leadership, Alex Murray, highlighted the severe implications of sextortion, calling it, “unimaginably cruel and can have devastating consequences for victims.” He further articulated that the campaign aims to empower young boys with knowledge to recognize the dangers associated with this crime type, asserting it is never their fault if they become victims.

In 2024, the NCA’s CEOP Safety Centre recorded 380 sextortion-related reports, alongside UK police documenting approximately 117 monthly reports involving minors in the initial five months of the same year. In the United States, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children noted over 28,000 sextortion reports globally for 2024, indicating a significant increase from the previous year. Research by the NCA uncovered that 74% of boys surveyed lacked a comprehensive understanding of sextortion, and a similar proportion failed to recognize requests for nude imagery as potential red flags. Moreover, nearly 73% were unaware of how to report such crimes.

The NCA has also provided guidelines for parents and caregivers concerning how to identify sextortion risks, communicate dangers to their children, and assist victims effectively. This initiative follows last April’s unprecedented alert directed at teachers, which reached approximately two-thirds of UK educational staff and was deemed beneficial for recognizing and responding to sextortion incidents. The campaign emerges amid heightened concerns regarding child sexual abuse, with records indicating nearly 40,000 such offenses committed by children in 2023.

The NCA’s ongoing campaign against online sextortion underscores the predatory nature of these Nigerian crime gangs targeting British teenage boys. Awareness efforts focus on educating young boys about the risks and consequences of sextortion, encouraging both reporting and resilience against blackmail. The partnership between the NCA and international enforcement aims to dismantle these networks, protect victims, and provide crucial resources for parents and educators to assist in prevention and education efforts. Vigilance and informed action remain essential to combat this growing threat.

Original Source: www.irishnews.com