FBI: Sextortion Targets Boys
05/02/24 • 43 min
Sextortion disproportionately affects boys.
Between October 2021 & March 2023, the FBI & Homeland Security Investigation received more than 13,000 reports of online sextortion of minors. Most of the victims were boys. At least 20 boys have already died by suicide after experiencing sextortion.
The FBI is so concerned about these trends that they reached out to ON BOYS podcast. Agents are working to shutdown sextorionists, but they know that parents play a key role in keeping boys safe too.
“This trend of targeting boys for financial sextortion — where photos are taken or provided by the boy and then used to extort them for funds, under the impression that they will be shared online — is a scheme that seems to have emerged in the last few years,” says Chris Crocker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI St. Louis division.
Protecting Boys From SextortionBoys ages 14-17 seem to be the primary targets. Sextortionists connect with boys via online platforms (including gaming sites and social media; they often represent themselves as attractive teenage girls, show a lot of interest, perhaps share a sexy photo of “themselves,” and then ask the boy to reciprocate. When he does, they threaten to share the image unless the boy sends them money.
“The boys we’ve seen fall for these schemes are not dumb kids. They’re not kids that were necessarily obviously at any sort of risk. They’re good kids, good students, athletes, model kids, the kind of boys you would want your son to grow up to be,” Chris says. “These are not bad kids; these are good kids who make poor decisions. Every person is susceptible to doing that from time to time.”
Talk to your boys about sextortion, so they will talk to you if it occurs to them (or a friend). Make sure they know that you will help them, not yell at them or punish them.
“It is very important for parents to constantly reassure their children that they can come to them with something like this. Building that trust with your child is really important to avoiding these things – maybe not from occurring ever, but from reaching the worst possible outcome,” Chris says.”This is a really complex issue and there’s no easy way to handle it, but spreading awareness will prevent more of these outcomes.”
Chris Crocker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI St. Louis Division
To Report Sextortion:
To contact the FBI, dial 1-800-CALL-FBI or use tips.fbi.gov to provide information online.
The FBI’s partner at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides guidance on how to remove nude photos online that were taken before a person was 18 years old: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
In this episode, Jen, Janet, & Chris discuss:- What sextortion is
- Why boys are often victims
- How to talk to boys about sextortion
- What to do if someone is experiencing sextortion
- What happens when your report sextortion
- What social media sites are doing to combat sextortion
Sextortion: A Growing Threat Preying on Our Nation’s Teens
A Teen’s Death in a Small Michigan Town Led the FBI & Police to an Online Sexual Extortion Scheme
This Boy’s Story Highlights Why Instagram’s Taking a New Stance on DMs
Instagram to Crack Down on Teen Sextortion
Maggie Dent: What Teenage Boys Really Need — ON BOYS episode
Talk with Boys Like a PRO (about anything & everything!) — Jen & Janet’s upcoming course (starts May 7, 2024)
Sponsor Spotlight: EZ MeltsGet a FREE 3-month supply of D3 w your 1st purchase at try.ezmelts.com/onboys
<...
Sextortion disproportionately affects boys.
Between October 2021 & March 2023, the FBI & Homeland Security Investigation received more than 13,000 reports of online sextortion of minors. Most of the victims were boys. At least 20 boys have already died by suicide after experiencing sextortion.
The FBI is so concerned about these trends that they reached out to ON BOYS podcast. Agents are working to shutdown sextorionists, but they know that parents play a key role in keeping boys safe too.
“This trend of targeting boys for financial sextortion — where photos are taken or provided by the boy and then used to extort them for funds, under the impression that they will be shared online — is a scheme that seems to have emerged in the last few years,” says Chris Crocker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI St. Louis division.
Protecting Boys From SextortionBoys ages 14-17 seem to be the primary targets. Sextortionists connect with boys via online platforms (including gaming sites and social media; they often represent themselves as attractive teenage girls, show a lot of interest, perhaps share a sexy photo of “themselves,” and then ask the boy to reciprocate. When he does, they threaten to share the image unless the boy sends them money.
“The boys we’ve seen fall for these schemes are not dumb kids. They’re not kids that were necessarily obviously at any sort of risk. They’re good kids, good students, athletes, model kids, the kind of boys you would want your son to grow up to be,” Chris says. “These are not bad kids; these are good kids who make poor decisions. Every person is susceptible to doing that from time to time.”
Talk to your boys about sextortion, so they will talk to you if it occurs to them (or a friend). Make sure they know that you will help them, not yell at them or punish them.
“It is very important for parents to constantly reassure their children that they can come to them with something like this. Building that trust with your child is really important to avoiding these things – maybe not from occurring ever, but from reaching the worst possible outcome,” Chris says.”This is a really complex issue and there’s no easy way to handle it, but spreading awareness will prevent more of these outcomes.”
Chris Crocker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI St. Louis Division
To Report Sextortion:
To contact the FBI, dial 1-800-CALL-FBI or use tips.fbi.gov to provide information online.
The FBI’s partner at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides guidance on how to remove nude photos online that were taken before a person was 18 years old: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
In this episode, Jen, Janet, & Chris discuss:- What sextortion is
- Why boys are often victims
- How to talk to boys about sextortion
- What to do if someone is experiencing sextortion
- What happens when your report sextortion
- What social media sites are doing to combat sextortion
Sextortion: A Growing Threat Preying on Our Nation’s Teens
A Teen’s Death in a Small Michigan Town Led the FBI & Police to an Online Sexual Extortion Scheme
This Boy’s Story Highlights Why Instagram’s Taking a New Stance on DMs
Instagram to Crack Down on Teen Sextortion
Maggie Dent: What Teenage Boys Really Need — ON BOYS episode
Talk with Boys Like a PRO (about anything & everything!) — Jen & Janet’s upcoming course (starts May 7, 2024)
Sponsor Spotlight: EZ MeltsGet a FREE 3-month supply of D3 w your 1st purchase at try.ezmelts.com/onboys
<...
Previous Episode
Protein, Creatine, & Performance Enhancing Drugs
Protein, creatine, & performance enhancing drugs are common in boy world.
In fact, most teen boys experiment with them at some point. Approximately 80% of teenage boys say they’ve used a protein supplement within the last 12 months, says Kyle Ganson, an assistant professor who researches boys and body image.
“There’s a very broad list of performance enhancers, including dietary supplements and other substances that are perfectly legal and readily available to young people,” Kyle says. These substances are “purported to help you with your performance, with building strength, and with your appearance, but there’s not a lot of research on them and a lot of nuance to them.”
Whether they’re looking for this info or not, boys are likely to encounter it online. There are a plethora of social media influencers who hawk supplements and explicitly discuss their workout routines, nutrition, and dietary supplements. Not all of that information is accurate. In many cases, these influencers gain financially when they promote supplements.
Understanding boys’ motivation to use these substances is key to supporting them. An abstinence-only approach isn’t likely to work — and not necessary, in most cases, Kyle says. It’s better to engage boys in conversation and help them meet their goals.
In this episode, Jen, Janet, & Kyle discuss:- Protein supplements, creatine, amino acids, pre-workout supplements, & energy drinks
- Steroids & synthetic hormones, including testosterone
- How media influences (& creates) unrealistic body image ideals for boys
- Why boys use performance enhancing supplements
- Helping boys find accurate information
- Typical paths to supplement use
- Talking to boys about performance enhancing substances
- Masculine norms & muscle-building behaviors
- Regulation (& lack of regulation!) of supplements & performance enhancing drugs
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) & Muscle Dysmorphia — previous ON BOYS episode w Kyle
Boys & Body Image – ON BOYS episode
Zac Efron Admits Bulking Up for Baywatch “Messed” Him Up
Rob McElhenney from “Always Sunny” Reveals How He Got So Ripped
Safety Reporting Portal — site consumers can use to report adverse events
Sponsor Spotlight: My Life in a BookSponsor Spotlight: FactorUse code ONBOYS50 for 50% off
Sponsor Spotlight: WinonaMenopause care made easy!
Visit bywinona.com/onboys & use code ONBOYS to get 25% your first order.
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Sponsor Spotlight: ArmoireClothing rental subscription that makes getting dressed easier. Visit armoire.style/ONBOYS to get up to 50% OFF your first month.
Next Episode
Do Schools Create “Problem Boys?”
Boys don’t do as well in school as girls. On the whole, they earn lower grades and more disciplinary referrals. You will typically find more boys in detention than at the top of the class.
Are boys the problem? Is there something about masculinity, something about male biology that contributes to these disparate outcomes? Or, are schools the problem? Does the curriculum and environment somehow inhibit boys’ success?
Yes. Boys mature more slowly than their female peers, so they’re generally not as well-equipped for the challenges of school as their similarly-aged female peers. Current masculinity standards also ridicule academic achievement or effort and make it difficult for boys to ask for help. And, most school curriculum and practices don’t align well with boys’ needs.
In far too many cases, though, adults make things worse rather than better for boys in school. Adult misunderstanding of male development, coupled with intrinsic bias (and intensified by the fact that educators are now being asked to do too many things, with too few resources & too little support), causes many adults to inadvertently exacerbate boys’ problems. And that’s a problem for all of us.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov via Pexels
In this episode, Jen & Janet discuss:- Why boys struggle in school
- How adults unintentially exacerabate boys’ problems
- Setting boys up for school success (Choose a play-oriented preschool instead of an academically-oriented one!)
- Meeting boys’ needs in school
When Your Kid is the Classroom Problem Child — The Cut article
Why Are Kids Being Forced to Eat Lunch in Silence? — Guardian article
Schools — Not Boys — Behaving Badly — Jen’s Building Boys Bulletin about both these articles
Boys & School — Building Boys post about the black walnut incident
Moving Into the Red: Boys & Education — article by Jen about her son’s kindergarten experience
Gifted & Twice-Exception (2E) Boys — ON BOYS episode
Sponsor Spotlight: My Life in a BookSponsor Spotlight: ArmoireClothing rental subscription that makes getting dressed easier. Visit armoire.style/ONBOYS to get up to 50% OFF your first month.
Sponsor Spotlight: WinonaMenopause care made easy!
Visit bywinona.com/onboys & use code ONBOYS to get 25% your first order.
Sponsor Spotlight: ByHeartGet 10% off your first order using code ONBOYS at byheart.com
Sponsor Spotlight: EZ MeltsGet a FREE 3-month supply of D3 w your 1st purchase at try.ezmelts.com/onboys
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