Sextortion, which may violate several federal criminal statutes, involves coercing victims into providing sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves, then threatening to share them publicly or with the victim's family and friends is on the rise, according to a social media post by the Bethlehem Police Department.
The FBI is warning the public of malicious actors creating synthetic content (commonly referred to as "deepfakes") by manipulating benign photographs or videos to target victims.
Technology advancements are continuously improving the quality, customizability, and accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled content creation.
The key motivators for this are a desire for more illicit content, financial gain, or to bully and harass others.
Malicious actors have used manipulated photos or videos with the purpose of extorting victims for ransom or to gain compliance for other demands (e.g., sending nude photos).
As of April 2023, the FBI has observed an uptick in sextortion victims reporting the use of fake images or videos created from content posted on their social media sites or web postings, provided to the malicious actor upon request, or captured during video chats, according to police.
Based on recent victim reporting, the malicious actors typically demanded: 1. Payment (e.g., money, gift cards) with threats to share the images or videos with family members or social media friends if funds were not received; or 2. The victim send real sexually-themed images or videos.
Law Enforcement urges the public to exercise caution when posting or direct messaging personal photos, videos, and identifying information on social media, dating apps, and other online sites.
Although seemingly innocuous when posted or shared, the images and videos can provide malicious actors an abundant supply of content to exploit for criminal activity, according to police.
Advancements in content creation technology and accessible personal images online present new opportunities for malicious actors to find and target victims. This leaves them vulnerable to embarrassment, harassment, extortion, financial loss, or continued long-term re-victimization.
For more information, please visit https://www.ic3.gov/media/y2023/PSA230605
Subscribe to WGOLV to receive all your news and events right to your inbox!
Advertising and Promotional opportunities are available.
Please contact lorilee@wgolv.com
WGOLV is a mom-owned and run business -
Donations are greatly appreciated. Thank you! :-)