The FBI in Philadelphia released the below information:
PHILADELPHIA—Thousands
of children become victims of crimes – whether it’s through kidnappings,
violent attacks, sexual abuse, or online predators. FBI Philadelphia joins our
community in recognizing April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The FBI’s
Violent Crimes Against Children (VCAC) program was developed to decrease the
vulnerability of children to sexual exploitation; to develop a nationwide
investigative response to crimes against children; and to enhance the
capabilities of state and local law enforcement investigators through programs,
investigative assistance, and task force operations. FBI Philadelphia has a
dedicated team of special agents, analysts, task force officers, and victim
specialists working to combat crimes against children every day throughout our
territory.
“Crimes against
children are among the most heinous offenses we investigate” said Wayne A.
Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI and our law
enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to identify,
investigate, and prosecute those who seek to victimize the most vulnerable
among us.”
This National
Child Abuse Prevention Month, FBI Philadelphia wants to bring attention to the
crime of financially motivated sextortion. The FBI has seen a significant
increase in financially motivated sextortion schemes targeting children via the
Internet. From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security
Investigations received over 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of
minors. The sextortion involved at least 12,600 victims—primarily boys—and led
to at least 20 suicides.
In the six-month
period from October 2022 to March 2023, the FBI observed at least a 20%
increase in reporting of financially motivated sextortion incidents involving
minor victims compared to the same time period the previous year. Victims are
typically males between the ages of 14 to 17, but any child can become a
victim.
It’s important
for victims to understand they are not alone. Children that feel threatened
need to ask a trusted adult for help. Most children are afraid to tell their
parents, teachers, or other trusted adults about their online activities,
especially if the activities are inappropriate. It is also important for
children to know they are not to blame.
If you believe
you or a child you know is a victim of financial sextortion, you should:
- NOT produce
additional images
- Immediately report
the activity to law enforcement:
- Contact your local
police department or call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov to report
it, or find your local FBI field office at https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices
- Contact the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or
online at www.cybertipline.org;
- Save all material
and correspondence for law enforcement review;
- Tell law
enforcement everything about the online encounters—it may be embarrassing,
but it is necessary to find the offender.
Parents and
guardians should talk to children about online predators, sextortion, and the
motivations of those who entice children. The following measures may help
educate and prevent children from becoming victims of financial sextortion:
- Make children aware
that anything done online may be available to others;
- Make sure
children’s apps and social networking sites’ privacy settings are set to
the strictest level possible;
- Tell children to
report anyone who asks them to engage in sexually explicit activity online
to a parent, caregiver, or law enforcement;
- Parents and
guardians should review and approve apps downloaded to smart phones and
mobile devices and monitor or limit activity on those devices;
- Ensure an adult is
present and engaged when children communicate via webcam, or have the
ability to review the children’s activity;
- Discuss Internet
safety with children before they engage in any online activity and
maintain those discussions throughout their teenage years;
- Use software
monitoring apps to alert parents of harmful activity on their children’s
mobile devices.
For more information about the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children program, please visit https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/cac.
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