The FBI office in San Diego issued a public warning about the growing problem of "sextortion" involving minors, a form of child sexual abuse that entails coercing minors into creating and transmitting explicit sexual material.

According to the federal agency, perpetrators persuade young individuals to generate sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves and then threaten to disclose the compromising material unless the victims produce more content.

"Nationally, and right here in San Diego, sextortion has become a significant problem," stated John Kim, special agent in charge of the FBI office in the city. "Cases in our area have doubled in the past year, and the overwhelming majority of cases target minors."

While some offenders seek only sexual gratification, others extort payments, often in the form of gift cards, cryptocurrencies, bank transfers, or mobile payment services, according to the agency. Financially motivated perpetrators are often located outside the United States, frequently in West African countries such as Ivory Coast and Nigeria, or in Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, the FBI noted.

Victims are typically boys between 14 and 17 years old, although any child can become a victim, according to FBI officials. The crimes can lead victims to self-harm, warned the federal agency. From October 2021 to March 2023, U.S. authorities received over 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion against minors. The crimes involved approximately 12,600 affected individuals and resulted in at least 20 suicides.

From October 2022 to March of the previous year, the federal agency documented a 20% increase in reports of financially motivated sextortion incidents involving minors compared to the same period the previous year. "The best form of prevention is education and ongoing awareness," said Kim. "Parents and caregivers should learn about what is happening so they can talk to their children about online safety."