Police repeat warning after teenage boy targeted by sextortion scammers

Police have repeated calls for young people and parents to be vigilant after a teenage boy was targeted by sextortion scammers. 

The secondary school-aged boy, who lives in north Nottinghamshire, had sent an indecent image of himself to an unknown person who had initially contacted him through TikTok. 

He sent the photo and had photos sent to him of a topless adult female. 

The person then contacted him threatening to send the photo on if he didn’t send $100 to them. 

The boy, who was also contacted on his phone as well as via WhatsApp and Snapchat, reported the incident to the police and was subsequently visited by officers who gave him advice, in front of his mum, on how to stay safe online. 

Sextortion is a type of online blackmail, where criminals threaten to share nude or semi-nude photographs of their victim (often to the victim’s personal contacts on social media) or information about them if money isn’t paid or if the victim fails to comply with some other harmful demand.    

In some cases, criminals pose as ‘young and attractive’ women online and then befriend men, usually in their teens or early 20s, on their social media platforms.    

They will encourage them to send naked pictures or videos of themselves and then use that material against them, threatening to send it to family and friends unless they are paid.  

DCI Chris Berryman, whose team investigates sextortion cases, said: “This boy is very young and perhaps didn’t understand what he was getting himself into.   

“It appears initially he may have been scared to tell his parents about what happened and didn’t know what to do but he but did the right thing by alerting the police and making a family member aware. 

“Officers explained to him how dangerous it can be to make and distribute images as well as to talk to strangers online.

"Thankfully, after advice was given to him, he has had no more threats since the incident initially happened. 

“He told officers he felt better now that he’d had no further contact, and said he wouldn’t do this again now he has been educated about how he can stay safe online.” 

Officers carried out lines of inquiry and have since revisited the victim.

It’s currently suspected the number linked to the incident was from outside of the UK, with efforts ongoing to identify a suspect. 

DCI Berryman added: “Sextortion is a cruel crime that can destroy lives and have a devastating impact on victims, causing distress and fear for victims as well as making them feel deep shame and embarrassment.    

“Prevention is key to ensuring that more young people do not fall victim to these criminals. 

“While we will continue to investigate reports and work hard to bring offenders to justice, we want to do everything we can to find ways of preventing and reducing these types of crimes and providing even better support to victims.   

“If you are a victim of sextortion, remember that it’s never your fault and you’ve done nothing wrong. 

“Our message is simple: if you believe you’ve been a victim of sextortion please report it to us, don’t feel embarrassed, we’re there to help you and support you. 

“We understand that it might be difficult to report this type of crime to us, but there's help available and we're here to listen and support you in any way we can.” 

Last year, Nottinghamshire Police launched an eye-catching campaign, which was recognised nationally, to raise awareness of this devastating crime type and prevent people from becoming victims. 

Our campaign, working in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, was launched following a steep rise in the number of sextortion reports across our city and county.   

During 2024, the force investigated 403 blackmail cases, 265 of these were sextortion offences.  

As well as working with the university, we’ve also teamed up with the Revenge Porn Helpline to create an educational package to be shared with both Nottingham universities, colleges, and secondary schools via our schools engagement team.

To find out more about our sextortion campaign and to watch our video, visit Sextortion | Nottinghamshire Police  

To make a report to us you can call 101, make a report online using our website, or in an emergency always dial 999. 

For more details about the Revenge Porn Helpline, including other ways to get in touch, visit Revenge Porn Helpline - 0345 6000 459 | Revenge Porn Helpline