FBI Erie Special Agent Ryan Chrobak is noticing an alarming trend.
“We’re only seeing the tip of the ice burg when it comes to this stuff,” said Chrobak. Â “This is happening across the country to thousands of individuals that we are aware of, and probably more that we are not aware of.”
Chrobak’s office is seeing an increase in sextortion schemes amongst the youth of Erie County.
“I can say in the last week alone, we’ve received three in takes, complaints whereby minor individuals have been sextorted.” said Chrobak.
Sextortion involves an offender convincing a minor to create and send them sexually explicit images or video.
Once obtained, the suspect then threatens to release the material unless the victim pays them or provides them with more content.
“By nature of a child having access to cell phones, tablets, electronic devices, the applications that are contained on those devices, we’re opening them up to everyone in the world,” said Chrobak. Â “There are individuals out there whose sole purpose in life is to target and identify those persons as victims for their own personal gain.”
According to FBI statistics, from October of 2021 to March of 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors. Â These cases involved 12,600 victims—primarily boys—and led to 20 suicides.
“The primary impact is often shame, embarrassment of that specific person,” said Chrobak. Â “We’re talking about minors, some of which are less than 10 years old, to some minors that are 15, 16, 17-years-old.”
According to Millcreek Police Officer Ben Bastow, in the past year, his department has seen more than 50 cases of sextortion.
“It’s very alarming and the after affects are very scary to see,” said Officer Bastow. Â “Often times what you see is what could be a young person, a teenager, you can see their mental health deteriorate. Â We’ve seen suicidal ideations. Â Often times, what’s occurring is so foreign and so invasive, it ends up throwing their lives into a complete whirlwind.”
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah says his department is also investigating cases of sextortion.
“It’s something we’ve seen here, and it’s something we take very seriously,” said Chief Lorah. Â “Unfortunately, it’s a disgusting trend that we see, and with technology and juveniles having access, online access on their phones, it’s something that we are going to see more of.”
So, who is committing these online crimes against minors?
“I would say, based on my experience and seeing the work they do, a lot of this is initiated overseas,” said Chrobak. Â “Another big group we see it from are other juveniles as well.”
The use of artificial intelligence is only adding to the problem.
“In recent years, the introduction of AI, how quickly that feature that function is progressing, we’re seeing that incorporated specifically in some of our crimes against children cases.” said Chrobak.
What can you do to protect yourself and your family from falling victim?
All three law enforcement agencies offer similar advice.
-Be selective about what you share online.
-Be wary about anyone you interact with online for the first time.
-Never share an image with someone you don’t know.
-Parental control software can also be installed in your child’s phone to limit the content they have access to.
If you or your loved ones fall victim to sextortion, organizations like the Crime Victim Center are there to help.
“Anybody going through any type of trauma, especially from criminal activity; they need to talk about that,” said Crime Victim Center Executive Director Dr. Paul Lukach. Â “They need to get this burden off of their shoulders. Â The best way to do that, is to talk with well qualified counselors.”
“I think the big takeaway here should be as a parent or guardian, anytime we turn over an electronic device to our children, cell phones, tablets, gaming platforms, we need to understand that we are giving them access to everyone across the globe.” said Chrobak.
There is also a website that can help families remove unwanted pictures or videos, which can be found here: Â