Internet Watch Foundation indicates a ’worrying’ trend as criminals widen their scope to ensnare victims
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) stated that the "worrying" trend reveals criminals behind extortion attempts are broadening their target range to ensnare more victims.
Sextortion is a form of blackmail where teenagers—typically boys, although incidents involving girls have surged sharply in recent years—are deceived into sending intimate images of themselves to fraudsters who have contacted them via social media and messaging platforms. The criminals then demand money and threaten to share the material with others.
The UK-based internet safety watchdog reported five confirmed cases of 11 to 13-year-olds being victims of sextortion attempts last year, out of a total of 175 confirmed incidents involving under-17s. The 2024 total was slightly lower than the 176 recorded in the previous year, but the IWF noted sextortion remains a "huge problem."
"The fact that these perpetrators are casting the net to target 11 to 13-year-olds is worrying," said Tamsin McNally, IWF’s hotline manager. "Although it is a small number, I am concerned that this will grow."
Last month, parents at a primary school in Edinburgh were cautioned to check their children’s devices after reports of an eight-year-old girl being a victim of a sextortion scam.
The school informed parents that someone had been impersonating students on Snapchat, and police confirmed an ongoing investigation after receiving "several reports" of indecent images being shared.
McNally mentioned a new trend observed by the IWF where criminals threaten to depict victims as perpetrators of a sexual crime.
"They are now saying they will send the image to others and also make it look like you are a perpetrator of a sexual crime. That creates immense pressure to compel victims to pay the perpetrator," she explained.
Last year, the National Crime Agency (NCA) warned international cybercriminals that they could face extradition as efforts intensified to combat sextortion. West Africa, particularly Nigeria, has become a hub for sextortion gangs, according to the NCA.
McNally pointed out that some children might still live in fear of the repercussions of a sextortion attack without knowing about an online system specifically designed to remove sexual images from the internet.
The Report Remove service, operated by the IWF and the children’s charity the NSPCC, enables children to anonymously report intimate images or videos of themselves that have appeared or might appear online, including those sent to sextortion fraudsters. Tech platforms are then able to remove the image or prevent it from being uploaded.
The number of children using Report Remove surged in 2024, according to IWF data showing 1,142 reports were processed by the watchdog last year, a 44% increase from 2023. Almost half of the images were from the 14- to 15-year-old age group. Of the 175 sextortion incidents last year, 151 were reported through the Report Remove tool.
One parent, speaking anonymously, said the service had been a "game changer" for their family after their 16-year-old son fell victim to a sextortion attempt.
The IWF’s interim chief executive, Derek Ray-Hill, said: "It is crystal clear that there has never been a greater need for the service that the Report Remove tool provides.
"These concerning figures show that offenders continue to ruthlessly target our children online, knowing they are vulnerable to coercion, exploitation, and abuse."
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