Send me a nude pic?
Sextortion is a mash-up of the words sex and extortion. With financial sextortion, attackers threaten to share your naked photos unless you pay. If it happens to you, it can feel very lonely, but it can happen to anyone, and every year Child Focus receives more reports of this kind of abuse.
Pay up or I’ll send the video to all your friends.
I sent you a photo. Now it’s your turn ☺️
€300 or it goes online.
Show me your 🍆 ?
Send money now or I’ll send your nude to the school chat.
You’ve seen me. Now it’s your turn 😘
Send cash or everyone will see what you did.
You’re so hot 😍 Show me a bit more?
Pay €150 in gift cards and it stays between us.
Now it’s your turn to show something ❤️
I’ve got your contact list. €250 or your nude goes online.
More and more chats turn into blackmail.
You start chatting online with someone who pretends to be a girl of your age. You can never be sure who’s really behind the profile. Often it is criminal gangs who create images using AI or deepfake tech. After a while they try to coax you into sending a nude. Then the conversation flips and they threaten to make everything public unless you pay up.
Lots of victims keep it to themselves because they feel ashamed or worry about what people will say. But sexting is totally normal and part of how many young people explore their sexuality. So when things go wrong it is important that young people don’t feel alone and that they can talk about it. That’s the only way we can tackle it. Sharing pictures in trust is OK. Forwarding or posting them without permission is illegal. And if you are underage, it is child abuse.