As technology continues to advance, suicides among victims of sextortion are also said to be on the rise.
That’s according to federal agents who say criminals are finding new, sophisticated ways to target innocent victims.
Officials are also emphasizing ways to fight back.
“It’s a way of bullying, it’s a way of extorting the victim,” said Special Agent in Charge at FBI-Houston James Smith.
Sextortion is a crime that involves using someone’s nude or intimate pictures to extort them for money. It’s been around for years but now Smith says more perpetrators are altering innocent photos using artificial intelligence to commit the crimes.
“These photos are being manipulated in a way that embarrasses the victims, and it shames them,” Smith said, adding bad actors use the fake images as leverage.
“Demanding money or some type of funds, we’ll call it,” he said.
Just like pictures, Smith says the promises to delete them are also often fake.
“Even though you may think that this is going to go away, it’s not going to go away. The subjects are going to continuously use these photos however way they want,” he said. “With today’s technology, you can do anything to a photo, as long as you have that face, you can do anything you want.”
While Smith says altering someone’s photo isn’t a crime itself, using it to extort someone is.
“We will use our investigative skills to find, locate and arrest the subjects,” he said.
If you find yourself a victim, Smith is offering advice.
“For one, do not respond. You have to contact law enforcement, such as ourselves at the FBI, or other law enforcement. Do not send money, do not send anything,” he said.