Anyone can become a target for sextortion

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE A SEXTORTION VICTIM If someone threatens to use intimate images or video against you, try not to panic, Goldberg advises. “About 75 percent of the time, they do not

follow through. And, sometimes, they don’t even have material. They’re bluffing,” she says, adding that victims should cut off contact at the first hint of sextortion. “The worst thing you

can do is succumb to their demands. Because once you pay, they know…you have the money and are susceptible to this kind of blackmail, which only makes them demand more.” In the Helpline

caller’s case, the volunteer advised the victim to cease all payments and delete the person from social media and any other form of communication.    The Helpline also tells victims to

report the crime to the police and IC3.gov because whether or not perpetrators follow through with threats, sextortion is illegal. “To demand money, pictures or something of value if you

don’t do XYZ is extortion,” Goldberg continues. “Extortion is criminal and reportable.” Wilmoth recommends preserving evidence if possible. “I don’t mean preserving the nude photos that were

so humiliating in the first place. I mean preserving documentation of what the scammer has done and said — maybe through screenshots, for example,” he says. “That can be really helpful if

there’s any kind of law enforcement response down the road.” Also notify the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov. Crime reports help them identify patterns; they have

successfully caught many sextortionists in recent years, including four Delaware men who were arrested last year after stealing a total of $1.9 million from multiple sextortion victims.

Unfortunately, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors don’t always have the expertise or resources to prosecute internet crimes — particularly when perpetrators are located abroad, notes

Laura Palumbo, communications director for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Regardless, she adds, “You can always reach out for the emotional support and counseling that’s

available to individuals through either a local crisis center or through the National Sexual Assault Hotline,” Palumbo says. Operated by RAINN, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is

confidential and available 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). The AARP Fraud Watch Network offers free, confidential discussion and support groups for fraud victims and their loved ones. Its

Helpline can be reached at 877-908-3360. Finally, remember this: You did nothing wrong. “If you have experienced online sexual abuse, it is not your fault,” Palumbo stresses. “What happened

to you was not OK.” A WORD ABOUT KIDS AND GRANDKIDS Even if they’re not victims of sextortion, older adults can be educators about it, according to Wilmoth, who says parents, grandparents

and other relatives can help young people navigate online sexual abuse by talking openly about it. “Our culture has stigmatized what, in my view, should be very normal conversations about

sex and sexuality. But it doesn’t have to be that way,” he notes. Start by signaling to the young people in your life a willingness to talk frankly and openly about sex and relationships.

“The way to do that is to say … something like, ‘Hey, I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk about your relationships or anything that feels difficult to talk to me about, I

love you and would never judge you.’ That message doesn’t have to be explicitly about sextortion, but it lays the foundation for you to be a nonjudgmental resource for them,” Wilmoth

continues. Therein lies the key. “Whether it’s a high-profile case that’s in the news or a person in your life who comes forward to share their own terrible experience, what you need to do

above all else is avoid conveying judgment,” Wilmoth concludes. “If you start asking judgmental questions like, ‘Why did you send the picture in the first place?’ then you have just

forfeited your capacity to help them."