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🇸🇬 Singapore /Crime & Justice

Young Australian men targeted in online sexual extortion, watchdog finds

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Young men and boys in Australia are increasingly falling victim to online sexual extortion, according to the eSafety Commissioner.
  • Criminals demand money after tricking victims into sharing intimate images, threatening exposure.
  • Platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp are frequently named in complaints, with significant gaps identified in tech companies' responses.

Young men and boys in Australia are being targeted for sexual extortion on social media platforms, with the nation's online watchdog identifying "significant gaps" in how tech companies address the issue. The eSafety Commissioner received over 2,200 complaints related to sexual extortion in the six months leading up to December.

significant gaps

— Australia's eSafety CommissionerDescribing the deficiencies in tech companies' handling of online sexual extortion.

In these scams, criminals trick victims into sharing intimate images before demanding money and threatening to expose them to family and friends. The largest group of victims comprised men aged 18 to 24, accounting for 803 complaints. Children under 15 were also affected, with 186 complaints from boys and 58 from girls.

The goal is often quick financial gain, with perpetrators using high-pressure tactics to force victims into paying. This form of extortion can cause high levels of stress, panic, psychological distress and financial loss.

— Julie Inman GrantExplaining the motives and impact of sexual extortion on victims.

Instagram and WhatsApp were the platforms most frequently cited in sexual extortion complaints. TikTok was identified by more children as the initial point of contact with abusers. The report highlighted the case of a 16-year-old boy who was lured into sending a nude photo via WhatsApp after connecting with a fraudster on Instagram, and was immediately pressured to pay money or face exposure.

In several cases, we have provided these platforms with evidence of how their services are being colonised by criminals to devastating impact, with clear guidance on how to stem the abuse. Even when we’ve laid this out, we haven’t seen adequate responses, despite the technology being readily available.

— Julie Inman GrantCriticizing the inadequate responses from social media platforms to reported abuse.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated that the report reveals "significant gaps" in platform protections and stressed the "vital" need for tech companies to respond more rapidly to victims reporting harm. She noted that perpetrators often aim for quick financial gain using high-pressure tactics, causing victims significant stress, panic, psychological distress, and financial loss. Grant added that platforms should be able to detect these scams, as similar "kill chains, scripts and images" are used across multiple extortion schemes, despite encryption on private messaging services sometimes hindering detection.

the Australian regulator sees “the same kill chains, scripts and images being used across multiple sexual extortion scams, and platforms should be picking this up

— eSafety CommissionerHighlighting the repetitive nature of scams that platforms should detect.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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