Utah
‘Sextortion’ crimes against male teens have increased in Utah, FBI says
Jose Luis Magana, Related Press
On this June 14, 2018, file picture, the FBI seal is seen earlier than a information convention at FBI headquarters in Washington.
SALT LAKE CITY — The FBI on Thursday stated its Utah subject workplace is seeing a spike in sexual extortion circumstances wherein male juveniles are focused by adults posing as younger women.
In these “sextortion” circumstances, the extortionists coerce boys by way of social media to provide sexual pictures and movies after which demand cash from them, the sector workplace stated in a information launch.
FBI spokeswoman Sandra Yi Barker stated by electronic mail that three to 5 sextortion circumstances monthly concentrating on younger males in Utah have been reported to the FBI in current months, in comparison with about one a month beforehand.
In these circumstances, the FBI stated a predator makes use of deception and manipulation to persuade a male, normally 14 to 17 years previous, to interact in express conduct on video. The extortionist then calls for cash to stop the imagery from being posted on-line.
The FBI stated in its assertion that folks and caregivers ought to concentrate on the hazards and be vigilant about younger individuals’s on-line actions. Many victims most likely don’t come ahead to oldsters or different trusted figures due to the exercise they had been cajoled into. One sufferer reporting the crimes may assist regulation enforcement forestall many future victims, the FBI stated.
Sextortion convictions can carry as much as a life jail sentence.
The FBI stated it acquired greater than 18,000 sextortion-related complaints in 2021, with victims’ losses of greater than $13.6 million.
To report sextortion, contact the native FBI subject workplace by way of contact info discovered at www.fbi.gov, the FBI’s Web Crime Criticism Heart at www.ic3.gov or the Nationwide Heart for Lacking and Exploited Kids at 1-800-843-5678 or Cybertipline.org.
The Utah Legislature handed two payments in its basic session this yr aimed toward punishing sextortionists. Senate Invoice 156 expands the definition and circumstances of sexual extortion to incorporate the extortion of things of worth. Senate Invoice 167 provides a extra extreme crime to the state code, aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.