My 15-year-old son made a 'stupid mistake,' now he's being sexually blackmailed
“My 15-year-old son has made a stupid mistake.”
That’s how a distressed mother began her post in a local Sydney Facebook group.
But the “mistake” her son made wasn’t just a lapse in judgement.
He was actually the victim of a widespread ‘sextortion’ scam that’s currently on the rise in Australia.
“He has sent a nude to what he thought was a girl on Instagram,” the anonymous mom explains in her post to the Inner West Mums page.
The girl said she was a “friend of a friend.”
“However clearly it was not and now they are threatening to send it to his whole friend list unless he pays them,” she continued.
The teen sent a nude photo to what he thought was a girl on Instagram, but then the account started blackmailing him. Shutterstock
“He is completely freaking out that his life is ruined. We of course are not going to pay but has anyone been through this with their teen? I feel sick and don’t know what to do.”
Hundreds of comments flowed in offering advice to the mom (official advice below), but many also pointed out how great it was that her teen felt he could come to her about this.
“Congratulations on being a parent your son feels comfortable going to ask for help on this,” one said.
“Your poor kid. It’s so good he came to you rather than suffer in silence,” another wrote.
And many thanked the mom for bringing the issue to their attention, saying they’ll now have a talk with their kids to help them avoid the issue in the future.
Many in the Facebook group gave advice and thanked the mom for bringing the issue to their attention. Facebook
What is sextortion? The global scam that’s on the rise in Australia
This teen is just one of the many Aussies being targeted by the global sextortion scam in recent months.
Sextortion is a form of blackmail that involves someone tricking or coercing you into sending sexual images of yourself and then threatening to distribute them unless financial demands are met.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has issued a warning about the growing number of sextortion cases.
The number of reported cases has “tripled” in the first quarter of 2023, with over 1700 incidents documented from January to March, in stark contrast to the 600 cases reported during the same period last year.
Young boys are the most at risk of being approached
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that 90% of all reports came from men, with young men between 18-24 the most at risk of being approached.
Teen boys are also particularly vulnerable as they typically feel guilt and shame for their actions and fear punishment from their parents, as well as any potential legal consequences.
“Thousands of Australians are coming to us in crisis as blackmailers threaten to send their sexual images or videos to family, friends, and colleagues unless they pay up,” she said.
“The cost to these young people is significant. Not only have many paid out thousands of dollars, but countless have suffered deep distress.”
Grant also added that scammers primarily use Instagram and Snapchat as their initial means of making contact.
“We need to educate young people, especially young men, to be very wary of attractive strangers approaching them out of the blue who get sexual straight away.
“There’s a big risk it’s an impersonator account being managed by organized crime, looking to blackmail that young person once they share sexual content,” she said.
Here’s how to keep your teens safe
According to cybersecurity expert, Parvinder Walia, it’s crucial that teenagers know that they are not alone, and education and communication are key to preventing it from happening in the first place.
Here are some of the steps she suggests teenagers can take to keep themselves as safe as possible:
Set social media accounts to private.
Don’t send any videos or pictures to someone they haven’t met in real life.
Never share intimate photos or videos of themselves or anyone else – they rescind control over what happens next.
Ignore messages from strangers and be wary of anyone wanting to move the conversation to another platform – that’s a big warning sign of a romance scam.
Education and communication with you teen are key to preventing sextortion. Getty Images/iStockphoto
What to do if you’re the target of sextortion
If targeted by sextortion, Commissioner Julie Grant says “It’s vital not to engage or pay, instead, take screenshots of the threats and user profile and record the profile URL. Then report it to the platform before you block the account.”
She added, “In cases where these images or videos are shared, report it to eSafety.gov.au.”
“Our investigators can help get that content quickly removed through our image-based abuse scheme. If you’re under 18, report this serious crime to specialist investigators at the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.”
Source: New York Post
