Children in UK as young as 11 targeted by sextortion criminals, data reveals

Published:  Sun 9 Mar 2025

Children as young as 11 to 13 are being targeted by sextortion criminals for the first time, according to data.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said the “worrying” trend showed that criminals behind extortion attempts were casting their nets wider in an attempt to trap victims.

Sextortion is a form of blackmail where teenagers – typically boys, although incidents involving girls have also risen sharply in recent years – are tricked into sending intimate pictures of themselves to fraudsters, who have made contact on social media and messaging platforms. The criminals then demand money and threaten to share the material with others.

Read the full article at The Guardian.

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