Tech firms like Snapchat and Facebook disclosed over 9,600 instances of adults grooming children online within a mere six months last year, averaging around 400 cases weekly.
Law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), are increasingly alarmed by the rising threats posed by various crimes targeting minors.
In 2023, the U.S.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) documented 546,000 reports concerning children from high-tech companies globally.
Of these, approximately 9,600 reports originated from the UK during the first half of 2024. Records indicate that Snapchat reported significantly more distressing content to NCMEC than any other platform during this timeframe.
The NSPCC, a child welfare charity, termed the statistic “shocking,” suggesting that it is likely an underrepresentation.
The NCA is launching an “unprecedented” campaign in the UK aimed at informing teachers, parents, and children about the perils of sexual exploitation.
The NCA emphasized: “Sextortion is a cruel crime that can lead to devastating outcomes for victims. Tragically, teenagers in the UK and worldwide have taken their lives as a result.”
NCMEC’s data is crucial as it is derived from reports submitted by online platforms and internet providers—such as Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok—rather than from victims, who may feel hesitant to disclose their abuse.
High-tech companies are mandated by U.S. law to report suspicious content to NCMEC. The data indicates that Snapchat reported around 20,000 instances of concerning materials in the first half of 2023, which included instances of sextortion and Child Sexual Abuse Materials.
This number surpasses the combined total of reports submitted by Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Google, and Discord. Snapchat revised its policy on reporting such content last year, which is believed to have resulted in lower subsequent figures.
Rani Govender from NSPCC remarked that sextortion and other profit-driven sexual offenses have a profoundly “devastating” impact on young individuals, hindering their ability to seek help and, in some cases, leading to suicide.
NCMEC revealed that they are aware of “more than three dozen” teenage boys globally who have taken their lives after falling victim to sextortion since 2021.
Govender noted that some tech companies “misjudge the abuse occurring online” by implementing protections like end-to-end encryption.
In contrast to certain other platforms, Snapchat does not employ end-to-end encryption for text-based messaging.
Authorities are increasingly worried that predators are utilizing more sophisticated methods to target children online.
The Guardian has uncovered a 101-page manual that provides detailed instructions on how to exploit young internet users, including recommendations for effective mobile phones, encryption, apps, and manipulative tactics.
This document instructs users on how to ensnare victims as “modern slaves” by obtaining explicit images, followed by coercive demands.
The guide is purportedly authored by a 20-year-old individual named Baron Martin from Arizona, USA. Arrested by the FBI in December, he refers to himself as the “king of terror.” According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Martin was a “catalyst for widespread control.”
Researchers report that the sextortion manual has been circulated among numerous “com networks”—an online community that promotes sadistic and misogynistic material while encouraging criminal behavior.
Milo Comerford, a strategic dialogue researcher at the ISD think tank, stated:
The FBI has pinpointed numerous online gangs collaborating to identify and exploit vulnerable victims, targeting them with compromising romantic interests.
These strategies are then used to blackmail victims, often resulting in further explicit imagery, self-harm, and other acts of violence and animal cruelty.
Comerford emphasized that “robust multi-agency” measures are urgently needed to raise awareness about the risks of sextortion among young people, parents, guardians, teachers, and others.
He added, “These transnational networks operate within a constantly shifting landscape of victims, groomers, and abusive entities utilizing social media platforms, sometimes leading to mass violence.”
Both Snapchat and Facebook have been requested to provide comments on this matter.
A TikTok video features a young man showcasing a pile of $100 bills. Another appears with designer clothing, while a third man dances, flaunting a heavy gold chain. They brag to their devoted followers about their journey to wealth.
One caption in the video reads, “BM got me a new car,” and another boasts, “$5,000 in just a few hours.”
Unlike traditional influencers focused on travel, brands, or culinary delights, their appeal hinges on criminal activities. All individuals in question are based in Nigeria, and their fraudulent schemes target social media users, predominantly in the US and other Western nations, manipulating romantic interests and victimizing individuals by spreading explicit images.
The intimidation escalates with the distribution of the victims’ images alongside demands for money.
The self-proclaimed con artist identifies as “BM Boys,” where “BM” refers to a chilling term for predatory schemes. Hundreds of young men from West Africa are involved in these operations. Their videos, flaunting lavish lifestyles, have attracted hundreds, if not thousands, of followers on TikTok, garnering admiration and igniting ambitions among other young men eager to join the scams.
“Please tell me the boss [the] one!” a follower commented on a popular BM boys TikTok. “[In] Please give me the name of God. Share your job details.”
Some BM Boys accounts have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers. The Guardian has identified 22 TikTok accounts run by these self-proclaimed BM Boys and interviewed a 24-year-old Nigerian man who has been actively involved for eight years, claiming to have raised nearly $100,000 from victims during that time.
“For me, it’s straightforward,” said one scammer who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss illegal activities. “We’re always on our phones—if you’re not working, you won’t eat.”
Finding Victims on Instagram and Flexing on TikTok
One of the primary targets for BM Boys is teenage boys in the United States and beyond. According to a 2023 report by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), financial sextortion cases involving minors rose sharply, totaling 26,718 from just 10,731 in 2022. Since 2021, at least 46 American teens have died by suicide after being victims of these scams.
In 2024, Meta announced that it had deleted 63,000 Instagram accounts reportedly linked to sextortion schemes from Nigeria. Despite this crackdown, Instagram remains a platform where perpetrators can identify and engage potential targets, as noted by human trafficking experts. Meanwhile, TikTok serves as a showcase for BM Boys, allowing them to flaunt their success and recruit newcomers.
“Others are eager to join these scams because they see the profits. They flaunt money, luxurious clubs, and travels,” says Paul Rafil, an expert in online exploitation. “They exploit these platforms and their influencer status to generate income.”
These individuals lead enviable lifestyles, often employing experienced figures known as “bosses” who manage new scammers termed “talks.” Rafil explains that these bosses take a cut of the profits.
“These ‘talks’ are tasked with creating fake social media profiles, engaging potential victims online,” Rafil elaborated. “But when it comes to transferring money through cash apps, Bitcoin wallets, and other financial methods, the bosses take the reins.”
A TikTok spokesperson stated, “We designed TikTok for creativity and do not tolerate any content or behavior that promotes sextortion, as it is harmful to teens.”
Tips and Tricks for Blackmailing
A critical aspect of their scheme involves building trust by creating a façade that their interactions are with attractive women in the same locale as their targets. Many BM Boys post “BM Updates” on TikTok, providing tips and education to followers on improving their sextortion techniques.
“Millions aspire to get into this. If you don’t learn it, you won’t succeed,” remarked one scammer who regularly shares BM updates and has a growing follower base.
BM updates include copying scripts, sharing pictures of girls to impersonate, tutorials on hacking social media accounts, and advice on utilizing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to avoid detection. They also provide scripts for creating menacing audio messages to coerce victims into compliance and guidance on where to find potential targets, including dating sites.
To connect with victims, offenders often use tactics termed “bombing,” where they infiltrate various online communities, including those related to schools, sports teams, and popular culture. They frequently discuss country music stars, Hollywood celebrities, or fans of popular shows, sharing insights on how to target such demographics.
“They do this for two reasons: to scam those who accept their follow requests and to make their fake accounts seem more legitimate when mutual friends exist,” Rafil noted. “Often they’ll say, ‘Oh, I discovered you through mutual suggestions on Instagram.’
To bolster their credibility as Americans, BM Boys avidly consume American news, sports, and pop culture content, according to a scary mailer.
Through thousands of attempts, these scripts and strategies have evolved into high-pressure systems designed to lure victims into compromising situations. They usually initiate image exchanges by sending stolen nude photos from sites where sex workers create content, Rafil mentioned.
Perpetrators then demand between $500 and $3,000, threatening to share explicit images with the victim’s social media connections. They employ fear tactics by editing victims’ photos into fake newspaper headlines or broadcast news images.
“Sometimes I call them to let them know who they’re dealing with. When the victim sees his photos on TV or in the news, they’ll think, ‘Oh, I can’t block this person,’” he claimed. “They’ll see it featured in trashy news broadcasts,” he mentioned.
No Remorse, Only Money
It’s no accident that threatening individuals flaunt their exploits on TikTok. One con artist expressed skepticism about reports indicating that numerous US teens have died by suicide following sextortion targeting.
“I don’t feel guilty; that’s not the sole reason for their suicides. I’m not sure if BM is responsible for these tragedies,” said the scammer. “If someone tells me they’re considering suicide, I assume they’re joking.”
He recounted how he was orphaned as a child when his mother died during childbirth, leading him to view sexual exploitation as merely a job despite its emotional toll.
“When I take a photo, I feel nothing for the victim. I must survive as a living being,” he remarked.
This lack of remorse shown by BM Boys has caused immense trauma for families, such as John Demay’s. In 2022, her son Jordan took his life at 17 after being targeted by three Nigerian men on Instagram who impersonated teenage girls. Two of them, Samuel Ogosi and his younger brother Samson Ogosi, have since been extradited to the US and are now serving a 17-year, six-month prison sentence.
During sentencing, the judge described the brothers as exhibiting “a blatant disregard for life,” noting that they continued their sextortion scheme even after learning of Jordan’s suicide.
“They continued their activities using the same script and attitude, fully aware that Jordan had ended his life as a consequence of their actions,” Demay stated.
Experts emphasize that the balance between privacy and safety on social media for children must differ from that of adults, urging platforms to strengthen protections for minors.
“You’re working with youth who may act impulsively. They might not respond adequately to warnings. Given their vulnerability, proactive measures are crucial,” they recommend.
Meta has implemented various changes recently to safeguard younger users. In a statement, the company mentions alerting teens when they interact with users from different countries, and blurring explicit images sent from minor accounts.
A Meta spokesperson commented, “Sextortion is a heinous crime. We have the ability to dismantle networks of fraudsters, share information with other companies, and support law enforcement in prosecuting these offenders.”
Since September, Instagram has established default privacy settings for accounts, making it harder for unauthorized individuals to view follower lists. However, when a teen accepts a friendship request, their follower list remains accessible. Enhancing privacy further, such as restricting follower lists from even approved followers, could better protect teens from being targeted by sextortionists, Rafil pointed out. “It shouldn’t be as easy as flipping through a directory to find a teenage boy or girl.”
Demay expressed that social media companies “have the ability to implement necessary safeguards within their platforms but have chosen not to do so.”
A senior police official has issued a warning that pedophiles, fraudsters, hackers, and criminals are now utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to target victims in increasingly harmful ways.
According to Alex Murray, the National Police’s head of AI, criminals are taking advantage of the expanding accessibility of AI technology, necessitating swift action by law enforcement to combat these new threats.
Murray stated, “Throughout the history of policing, criminals have shown ingenuity and will leverage any available resource to commit crimes. They are now using AI to facilitate criminal activities.”
He further emphasized that AI is being used for criminal activities on both a global organized crime level and on an individual level, demonstrating the versatility of this technology in facilitating crime.
During the recent National Police Chiefs’ Council meeting in London, Mr. Murray highlighted a new AI-driven fraud scheme where deepfake technology was utilized to impersonate company executives and deceive colleagues into transferring significant sums of money.
Instances of similar fraudulent activities have been reported globally, with concern growing over the increasing sophistication of AI-enabled crimes.
The use of AI by criminals extends beyond fraud, with pedophiles using generative AI to produce illicit images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, a distressing trend that law enforcement agencies are working diligently to combat.
Additionally, hackers are employing AI to identify vulnerabilities in digital systems, providing insights for cyberattacks, highlighting the wide range of potential threats posed by the criminal use of AI technology.
Furthermore, concerns have been raised regarding the radicalization potential of AI-powered chatbots, with evidence suggesting that these bots could be used to encourage individuals to engage in criminal activities including terrorism.
As AI technologies continue to advance and become more accessible, law enforcement agencies must adapt rapidly to confront the evolving landscape of AI-enabled crimes and prevent a surge in criminal activities using AI by the year 2029.
Recently, ChildLine counselors have been receiving an alarming number of calls regarding a specific issue.
In one case, a 17-year-old boy reached out for help after being blackmailed for sending intimate images to someone he thought was his age. This type of sextortion, driven by financial motives, is becoming more prevalent among UK teenagers.
Childline supervisor Rebecca Hipkiss revealed that these incidents have increased significantly over the past year, with over 100 cases reported. Victims often feel embarrassed and fear the repercussions of having their personal images shared with their friends and family.
Childline, operated by the NSPCC children’s charity, offers a “Report Remove” service to help victims of sexual blackmail take control of their images online. The service creates a digital fingerprint of uploaded images to prevent them from being circulated on major platforms.
With the rise of sophisticated AI tools, teenagers are now facing threats of deepfake content being created using their photos. These fake images are then used to extort money from victims, causing significant distress.
Victims of sex blackmail often feel helpless and worried about the consequences of these incidents. Childline advises them not to pay the scammers and to report the extortion attempts to the authorities.
It’s crucial for teens to be cautious and set boundaries in their online interactions. Understanding the risks and knowing when to say no are essential in protecting themselves from falling victim to such scams.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
