Sextortion is digital blackmail and an increasingly troubling online crime. It concerns an online predator who misrepresents themselves and convinces (catfishes) an unwitting victim to share nude or partially nude depictions of themselves. Once the predator has the depictions, they immediately make demands for money or more sexualized depictions utilizing threats to post the acquired content on the profile pages of family or friends. The online predator may be an acquaintance or a stranger. Law enforcement has found these online predators may even friend a child’s friends online to give the appearance they are trusted.
