FBI Warns Of New Child ‘Sextortion’ Scams That Use Deepfakes

A different sort of sexual predator is prowling the internet to exploit teens, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warns.

Overseas scammers are threatening to send explicit images of minors to their friends or family members if the victims don’t pay up. Only thing, the young subjects were never involved in these graphic scenes. Their faces are realistically planted onto pictures of bodies in compromising positions.

The FBI has been on high alert for these “sextortion” schemes since July. However, it has noticed that the crimes are spreading to Middle Tennessee, local news outlets report.

So far, the offending “deepfakes,” as termed by the authorities, that the FBI has seen are just photos. No videos have been turned in to the bureau yet.

Rachel Ardohain, Intelligence Analyst for the FBI, tells WKRN-TV that perpetrators aren’t “sexually gratified” by the doctored photos. Instead, they see the ploy as an avenue for quick cash.

Teens have been pressured to cough up hundreds to thousands of dollars and send the extortion money to perpetrators via Venmo or Zelle. They cave out of fear that loved ones who receive the images won’t believe them if they say they’re not the ones in the photos.

Ardohain details that youths are using their hard-earned money from jobs, and have even emptied out college funds, to abide by their blackmailer’s demands.

More than anything, victims come out of these situations with deep trauma. There have been cases of teenagers committing suicide as a result of sextortion, authorities warn.

Since perpetrators typically operate from abroad, the FBI says it can be difficult to arrest them and hold them accountable. Given that the scheme is also easily scalable, investigators hope to raise awareness about the crime in the event it’s replicated by other bad actors.

The FBI is predicting the increase of such violations since perpetrators will not have to spend time grooming or gaining the trust of minors. All they have to do is establish contact and get a photo to execute the plan.

The best way for teens to protect themselves is to not accept friend requests or start conversations with people they don’t know. They should also tell their parents if someone asks for a compromising photo.

Suspicious activity should be reported to the local police or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

The evolution of deepfake technology, and the risks that come with it, poses the need for more moderation. UK lawmakers are currently ironing out a bill to criminalize non-consensual deepfake pornography.

If you or someone you know is dealing with thoughts of self-harm, please know that help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach an expert at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Those living abroad can find relevant resources via the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

[via WKRN-TV and WSMV, cover photo 23719279 © Mike2focus | Dreamstime.com]