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#sextortion

14 stories taggedsextortion.

A laptop screen displaying AI image generation software interface with fabricated image thumbnails visible, surrounded by printed documents related to extortion
Policy & Regulation

Ohio man gets 15 years for AI-generated sextortion campaign against women and girls

James Strahler II used more than 100 AI tools across 24 platforms to fabricate nude images of victims, then threatened their families. He is the first person convicted under the new Take It Down Act.

3 min read
A young man at a desk looking at a smartphone screen with an uncomfortable expression, multiple chat conversation windows visible on his computer monitor behind
Threat Intelligence

Crime Gangs Are Running Bot-Powered Sextortion Factories. Young Men Are the Target.

Organised criminal networks are using AI-generated fake personas, automated accounts, and psychological pressure to extort young men out of thousands of dollars. South Australia alone lost $217,000 in a single year.

4 min read
A world map highlighting 22 countries with connection nodes showing international money-laundering networks and fraud operation infrastructure being disrupted,
Threat Intelligence

Interpol Arrests 58 in Operation Jackal IV, Targeting West African Fraud Networks

A 22-country sweep disrupted the money-laundering infrastructure and online scam operations behind some of the world's most prolific fraud gangs, with preliminary results pointing to a strategic shift toward dismantling criminal support systems rather than counting arrests.

4 min read
A computer monitor showing gaming platform and chat application icons, parents' concerned faces in soft focus, subtle warning signs and predatory messaging patt
Threat Intelligence

The group called 764 is grooming children online. A mother explains what that really means.

A US sentencing this month put a spotlight on 764, a network of online predators who target minors through gaming and chat platforms. One mother's account makes clear this isn't a distant problem.

3 min read
A federal courthouse hallway with security barriers, extradition notice documents on a table, the severity of the setting conveyed through harsh institutional l
Threat Intelligence

Two Nigerian men extradited to US over sextortion scams linked to teen suicides

Adebola Festus Adekunle and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale face life sentences after a joint operation tied them to blackmail schemes that ended in the deaths of two American minors.

3 min read
A teenager's bedroom with a phone on the desk next to a laptop, with notification badges visible on the screen, a backpack and school supplies in the frame
AI Security

AI 'Nudify' Apps Are a Back-to-School Threat. Here Is What Parents Need to Know.

Apps that strip clothing from photos using artificial intelligence are cheap, easy to find, and already reaching school-age children. Michelle DeLaune of NCMEC told CBS News that parents need a plan before the new term starts.

3 min read
A federal courthouse building exterior with steps leading to the entrance, American flag visible, on an overcast day
Threat Intelligence

Tennessee Man Gets 77 Years for Running Online Abuse Network Targeting Girls

A federal court sentenced Kyle Spitze, 27, to 77 years in prison for crimes tied to the 764 network, an online extremist group the FBI describes as a form of modern-day terrorism.

3 min read
A computer screen showing social media account login pages and cloud storage interfaces, with digital threat graphics indicating unauthorized access attempts an
Identity & Access

FBI warns criminals are hunting nude photos in hacked accounts

The bureau says attackers are breaking into social media and cloud accounts to steal intimate images, then using them for blackmail, resale on criminal sites, and follow-on sextortion attacks against victims and their families.

4 min read
Illustration: An empty juvenile courtroom with the judge's bench
Threat Intelligence

UK member of 'The Com' jailed for two years after blackmailing 117 girls online

Justin Swaddle, 20, used Snapchat and Discord to coerce teenage girls into self-harm and abuse images, purely to boost his standing in a sprawling online cybercrime collective.

4 min read
A smartphone showing dating app and social media interfaces, a conversation thread escalating to sextortion demands, with victims' faces blurred and a backgroun
Threat Intelligence

Matched, Manipulated, Blackmailed: How Sextortion Scams Target Young Men

Organised criminal networks are using dating apps and social media to trap young men into sharing intimate images, then demanding money. Two Australian survivors explain what happened and what they wish they had known.

3 min read
Illustration: Dimly lit computer screen displaying rows of email addresses and personal data
Threat Intelligence

Scammers Recycle ShinyHunters Breach Data to Power $2,000 Sextortion Emails

A campaign running since April uses email addresses from old ShinyHunters leaks to make fake extortion threats look personal.

4 min read
A smartphone screen displaying a fake Snapchat support message asking for login verification codes, with the victim's confused face partially visible in the pho
Threat Intelligence

Illinois man gets 76 months for phishing 750 women's Snapchat accounts

Kyle Svara, 26, tricked victims into handing over login codes by posing as Snap staff, then stole nude photos and traded them online.

4 min read
A social media feed displayed on a smartphone screen with repeated identical sextortion message templates visible in direct messages, while security detection i
Policy & Regulation

Australia Logged 2,000 Sextortion Complaints in Six Months. Big Tech Still Isn't Scanning for the Scripts.

Australia's online safety watchdog says the same blackmail messages keep appearing across platforms, and most major tech companies still aren't using the detection tools that already exist.

3 min read
Illustration: a modern smartphone lying face-up on a polished dark surface, its screen casting a faint glow upward
Policy & Regulation

Tech Giants Failing to Stop Online Sexual Extortion of Young Men, Australian Regulator Warns

Australia's online safety watchdog reviewed Apple, Meta, Google and others and found serious gaps in how they handle child exploitation and sextortion complaints, even as reports keep climbing.

3 min read
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