Young men in the crosshairs of 'morally disturbed' online crime

Jack believed he had found a potential date on the dating app Hinge, only to discover he had matched with his blackmailer. The conversation quickly shifted from Hinge to Instagram, where initial pleasantries soon took a darker turn.

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I was kind of nervous about it, that it's not something that I'm used to. They were not overly pushy, but kind of encouraging me, and … at the time, in the moment, it was like, 'Oh, this person's like, kind of interested enough to be patient and try to sort of help make the moment happen.'

Asked about exchanging nude photos, Jack expressed nervousness, stating it was not something he was accustomed to. He described the scammer as "not overly pushy, but kind of encouraging me," making him feel that the person was patient and trying to facilitate the moment. After Jack sent a nude photo, the exchange continued for about ten minutes, which he found increasingly "weird" due to the lack of verbal exchange he had expected.

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That was when they sent me, obviously, like a pre-written, very long message. It was a screenshot of a group set up with all of my contacts on Instagram, and then a message.

The threats began shortly after, with Jack receiving a lengthy, pre-written message. This message included a screenshot of a group chat set up with all his Instagram contacts, accompanied by a threat. Jack realized he was the victim of a sextortion scam, a form of blackmail involving the non-consensual sharing of sexual images for money, manipulation, or the perpetrator's gratification.

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Sextortion is when really morally disturbed people try to exploit human sexuality, which is a totally natural, fundamental part of human life.

Authorities warn that this type of scam is increasing worldwide. "Sextortion is when really morally disturbed people try to exploit human sexuality, which is a totally natural, fundamental part of human life," said Jack, describing the perpetrators. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant noted that organized criminals are increasingly targeting younger individuals, including boys aged 14 to 16, which is a significant concern. While most complaints come from men aged 18 to 24, the targeting of minors is a growing worry. Furthermore, advancements in AI are making the problem worse by providing criminals with easy access to aliases and the ability to create deep-fake sexualized images.

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Unfortunately we're starting to see these organised criminals targeting younger, younger people, younger boys, 14, 15, 16. That's a little bit more rare, but we really worry about that.