What is sextortion? How it targets teens, and what to do right now

What sextortion means

The FBI describes sextortion as an adult coercing a minor into creating and sending explicit images, then threatening to release them unless the child sends more. In financial sextortion, the offender demands money instead, usually through gift cards, payment apps, wire transfers or cryptocurrency.

The FBI says the typical victims of financial sextortion are boys between 14 and 17, and that most offenders are based outside the United States.

How it usually happens

1. Someone who seems to be a teen, often posing as a girl, starts a friendly or flirty conversation on Instagram, Snapchat, a game or another app.
2. They move fast: they send an image that appears to be of themselves and ask for one back.
3. Once they have an image, the tone changes. They show a list of the child’s followers, friends or family and threaten to send the image to everyone.
4. They demand money right away, often within minutes or hours, and come back for more after a payment.

How big the problem is

• NCMEC, which runs the national CyberTipline, received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion in 2025, about 137 a day, up from more than 36,000 in 2024.
• From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received more than 13,000 reports of financial sextortion of minors, involving at least 12,600 victims, mostly boys.
• A Thorn and NCMEC study of CyberTipline reports found that Instagram and Snapchat were the most common places offenders first made contact.

Warning signs a parent might notice

• Sudden fear, panic or withdrawal after time on the phone
• Secretive messaging, new contacts you don’t know, or deleted accounts
• Asking for money, gift cards or access to a payment app with no clear reason
• Not wanting to go to school or see friends

What to do right now

1. Stay calm and tell your child they are not in trouble. The person doing this is to blame.
2. Stop responding to the offender. Do not pay. The FBI says paying rarely stops the threats.
3. Don’t delete anything. Screenshot the profile, usernames, messages and any payment requests.
4. Report the account on the app and block it after you have saved the evidence.
5. Report to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI, or to NCMEC’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.
6. Use NCMEC’s free Take It Down service to help get images removed from participating platforms.

If your child is in crisis

Sextortion causes intense shame and fear, and it has been linked to teen suicides. If your child talks about wanting to die or you think they are in danger, call 911, or call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Stay with them.

Can a family take legal action?

Families are bringing claims against platforms when an adult used the app’s features to find, contact or exploit a child. These cases are reviewed as priority cases. The case review is free and confidential, and nothing is filed without your agreement.