Checked
Written from official fraud-agency notices. Every figure and piece of advice is checked against the sources listed at the bottom.
What we found
Set out in the same plain format as reader reports.
- What kind of scam?
- Fake romance and emergencies
- In short
- A stranger posing as someone else gets a young person to share images, then demands money or threatens to share them. It can happen within minutes.
- How does it reach you?
- Social media and chat apps
- How can you spot it?
- A new account that looks like a teenage girl
Few followers and a new-looking profile. Some copy someone the child already knows. - A fast move to a video-call app
Predators often move the chat quickly. - A demand for payment
Gift cards, mobile payments, wire transfers or crypto. - Threats even without images
Faces can be edited onto explicit images found online.
- A new account that looks like a teenage girl
- Is it growing?
- Yes, it is growing
- What do the sources say?
- The FBI says victims are typically boys aged 14 to 17, though any child can be targeted. [1]
- Where do I report it?
- FBI tips
tips.fbi.gov - FBI by phone
1-800-CALL-FBI
- FBI tips
If this happened to you
- Do not pay and do not send more images. Cooperating rarely stops the blackmail.
- Block the account and report it with the platform's safety tool. Save the profile and messages for law enforcement.
- Tell a trusted adult or the police before sending anything. Reassure the child: it is not their fault.
- Report it to your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI or use tips.fbi.gov. If someone is in danger, call your local emergency number.
Sources (1)
Sources
- FBI: Financially motivated sextortion (Checked 18 Oct 2026)