Statistics show 91 percent of sextortion victims are male. Photo: 123RF
Police receive about 10 reports of sextortion a week but the crime is largely unreported so that is likely only the tip of the iceberg, the officer in charge of covert online investigations says.
Police are currently investigating reports of Dunedin high school students being targeted, prompting a warning from police about the risks that young people face online.
Parents and caregivers are being urged to talk to their children about being safe, including knowing who they are actually communicating with online.
Hundreds of sextortion complaints have been made in recent years, often involving offenders contacting young people through social media and requesting photos or videos that are then use to blackmail them.
Children as young as 10 have been targeted.
In the most recent case, police say an individual posed as someone else online and attempted to extort the high school students.
The officer in charge of covert online investigations Detective Senior Sergeant Kepal Richards told Checkpoint that sextortion was an ongoing concern both nationally and internationally.
"Currently in New Zealand we're averaging 10 reported cases to police a week which we know is significantly lower than the problem, we know Netsafe receive about three and a half times more reports than us."
Even though that was a lower figure than last year likely due to increased publicity about the issue, it was still troubling that so many people were victims of sextortion, he said.
"It's largely unreported so this is only the tip of the iceberg, I'd encourage anyone who does fall victim to this type of offending to speak to someone and also notify police on 105 or Netsafe."
Statistics indicated that those aged between 16 and 20 were most likely to be targeted, with 91 percent of victims male, he said.
"But we did have last year a female as young as 11 and we've also had a male as old as 69, so it doesn't discriminate, essentially anyone can be a victim of sextortion if they have access to the internet."
Being a victim of sextortion could have a massive impact on a person's mental health and they could be embarrassed and not know who to turn to or what to do, he said.
"We encourage parents to have a close relationship with their children, ongoing conversations just so that their loved ones feel safe to come forward and tell them about it if they have been a victim of sextortion."
Ensuring younger people had good privacy settings on their devices and supervision were also needed, he said.
Richards said parents should talk to their children about the risks of sending images online and what they should do if they are talking to someone who is unknown to them online.
Most of the sextortion offenders were based overseas, often in countries like the Ivory Coast, the Philippines or Nigeria, he said.
"It does make it difficult for us to track them down, however we do make referrals to our international partners who work in this space and I do know that the AFP, the Australian Federal Police and the FBI have had some success recently in holding offenders to account from those countries."
The offenders often operated as criminal organisations and often targeted multiple people at once, he said.
"That's why we say if you do find yourself a victim of sextortion not to comply with their demands, the attackers will likely lose interest if they don't think they're going to get anything from you and move on to another target.
"So the best thing you can do is not comply with their demands, take screenshots of the conversations and any identifying particulars you can find of them to report to police, then block them. Contact the platform that you were speaking to them on so that they can remove their accounts as well and then as I say report to the police and Netsafe."
The biggest weapon police have to fight sextortion offenders is the community, with a need to raise awareness on the topic to ensure friends and family do not fall victim to it, he said.
Where to get help:
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202
Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)
Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
What's Up: free counselling for 5 to 19 years old, online chat 11am-10.30pm 7days/week or free phone 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 11am-11pm Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm or text 832 Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English.
Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
Healthline: 0800 611 116
Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
OUTLine: 0800 688 5463 (6pm-9pm)
Netsafe: Offers support, including guiding you through any steps you may be able to take if you've been caught up in a sextortion scam, and advice on how to stay safe in future. We may be able to help with reporting profiles and content to the online platforms. Email help@netsafe.org.nz or texting on 4282 or 0508 638 723 8am - 8pm weekdays and 9am - 5pm on weekends.
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.