WASHINGTON — Two students at George Mason University have reported being victims of “sextortion,” in which sexually explicit video images of the victims are used to extort money.
University police say in the past week they have received reports of two separate incidents, “in which unknown suspects gained the trust of Mason students over the internet and enticed the students to broadcast sexual acts over their webcams.”
While the students cooperated with the request, “the suspects then recorded the footage of the victims and threatened to circulate the videos on the internet unless the victims paid $5,000,” said police, in an alert to students.” The threats at Mason were first reported in the Washington Post.
Ju’Riese Colon, executive director of outreach and prevention of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, said the group has been collecting data on sextortion cases since 2013.
“What we’re seeing most is these are adults who are soliciting children for these images,” said Colon. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a young woman or a young man, sextortion affects kids of both genders.”
The incidents come weeks after a Justice Department survey, the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction. The survey focuses on changes to the child sexual exploitation threat since a 2010 review, and potential threats over the next five years.
The threat continues to morph along with technology.
“Mobile devices have fundamentally changed the way offenders can abuse children. Apps on these devices can be used to target, recruit or groom, and coerce children to engage in sexual activity,” according to the Justice report.
Sextortion can be devastating to a teenager’s psyche, said Colon.
“For kids who are 14, 15, 16, their image is everything — they live their lives online,” Colon said. “Their reputation is at risk, it often leads to other things such as cyberbullying and suicidal ideation.”
Colon says victims often feel trapped, and can be coerced into sending more images until the problem is advanced.
“They’re scared,” said Colon. “They’re scared what their parents and friends will say, and wonder where the images will end up.”
Unfortunately, young people are reluctant to admit they are being extorted.
“Once they’ve done it, they know it was wrong,” said Colon. “They always feel it’s going to stop, if they send one more picture, and that’s just not the case.”
Colon said victims should seek help.
“It is much better to get the assistance of law enforcement to find the person who’s doing this, and try to get those photos back, than it is to handle it yourself,” she said.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has resources to help victims of sextortion.
