CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) — The FBI is warning parents, caregivers and teens that sextortion attempts typically increase while minors are home for holiday breaks.
The FBI’s Charlotte Field Office said they’ve seen a 20% rise in reports between 2022 and 2023, but that number could be even higher.
They said adults pose as teens and try to manipulate them into sending explicit videos, then use that to extort the victim for money.
“Parents need to be intentional with their children when they give them a device,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the special angel in charge of the FBI in North Carolina. “They need to know what that device is, they need to know what applications are on that device, and they need to know who their children are communicating with and explain to them about the dangers.”
The FBI says it happens more often during school breaks.
They encourage children to tell a trusted adult if it’s happened to them.
The FBI provided the following tips to protect children online:
- Be selective about what you share online, especially your personal information and passwords. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you or your children.
- Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
- Be aware that people can pretend to be anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that a person is who they claim to be.
- Be suspicious if you meet someone on a game or app and they ask you to start talking to them on a different platform.
- Encourage children to report suspicious behavior to a trusted adult.
If you believe you or someone you know is the victim of sextortion:
- Contact local law enforcement or the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.
- Do not delete anything on your device before law enforcement is able to review it.
- Tell law enforcement everything about the encounters you had online; it may be embarrassing, but it is necessary to find the offender and can protect other children.