UK law enforcement agencies are receiving over 110 monthly reports of child sextortion attempts, as communicated by the National Crime Agency (NCA). A new awareness campaign has been initiated to tackle this online scourge. The NCA reports a substantial increase in the use of artificial intelligence within these attacks over the past three years due to evolving criminal methods.

In the first five months of 2024, police forces on average received 117 reports of sextortion involving under-18s each month – marking the first time such data has been collected.

Sextortion typically involves deceiving teenagers into sending explicit pictures of themselves to fraudsters, who contact them on social media and messaging platforms. Once in possession of the images, the criminals threaten to share the material publicly unless the victims pay them.

The NCA’s new campaign, launched on social media platforms like Instagram, Reddit, and Snapchat, aims to inform victims that they are not at fault and that support is available. The campaign also advises against paying the blackmailers.

Negotiations are ongoing between the NCA and Nigerian authorities regarding tackling offenders, with the possibility of extradition for sextortion criminals being considered.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/20/children-teenagers-sextortion-uk-national-crime-agency-campaign