TL;DR: The National Crime Agency says financially motivated sextortion, mainly run by organised gangs in parts of West Africa and South East Asia, is targeting boys aged 15 to 17. Some cases go from first contact to blackmail in under an hour. In NCA research, 74% of boys didn’t see requests for nude images as a warning sign and 73% didn’t know how to report. Teach your child: it’s never their fault, don’t pay, tell an adult, and report to CEOP or police.
What the NCA found
From the NCA’s campaign launch:
- 74% of boys didn’t fully understand sextortion;
- 74% didn’t see requests for nude images as a warning sign;
- 73% didn’t know how to report it;
- only 12% thought they might be at risk;
- the CEOP Safety Centre received 380 sextortion reports in 2024;
- from January to May 2024, police averaged 117 reports a month from under-18s, likely an undercount.
The NCA also alerted teachers in April 2024, reaching an estimated two-thirds of UK teaching staff.
How it happens
- A friendly, flirty account (often posing as a girl of similar age) makes contact on social media or a game.
- The chat moves fast to swapping images, or images are faked.
- Then the threat: pay, or the images go to your friends and family.
- The NCA says some cases go from first message to blackmail in under an hour.
These gangs want money, not images. That’s grimly useful to know: it means there’s a business script, and scripts can be recognised.
What to tell your teenager
Say it before anything happens, calmly:
- It’s never your fault, even if you sent something. The NCA is explicit about this.
- Don’t pay. Paying usually leads to more demands.
- Stop replying, but don’t delete everything: screenshots help police.
- Tell an adult you trust, today.
- Report to the CEOP Safety Centre or police.
For removing images, the NSPCC and Childline’s Report Remove tool exists for under-18s in the UK.
For parents
Understand it, talk about it, and know the reporting routes, says the NCA. A low-drama conversation now is worth more than any app setting. Our guides on protecting teens from scams and teaching teens about their footprint help.
Lock down profiles so strangers can’t see friends lists: Instagram, Snapchat. And beware of paid “sextortion help” services that promise miracles; the US FTC sued one alleged to have taken $60 million (the case).
A free email exposure check helps you see what’s leaked about a family email.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is targeting boys with sextortion?
The NCA says organised crime groups, mainly in some West African countries and South East Asia, motivated by money.
How fast does sextortion happen?
The NCA says some cases go from first contact to blackmail in under an hour.
Should my child pay the blackmailer?
No. Stop replying, keep evidence, tell a trusted adult and report to CEOP or police.
Where do UK teens report sextortion?
To a trusted adult, the police or the CEOP Safety Centre.