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San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F.'s budget woes could kill programs that help the city's most at-risk tenants
Long regarded as a critical supplement to the work done by city building inspectors, two community-based code enforcement outreach programs that target some of the city's most at-risk tenants could soon cease to exist as San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection looks to trim costs. Emails sent to about half a dozen local housing nonprofits on Monday informed them that the decades-old Code Enforcement Outreach Program, or CEOP, is facing complete erasure due to the city's budget woes. Among the supports offered by the nonprofits that receive funding through CEOP and the SRO Collaborative program, another DBI-administered initiative focused on residents of low-income single-room occupancy hotels (SROs) that's also at risk, are multilingual outreach, housing counseling and disaster preparedness services. In the past, the programs have united advocates representing landlords and tenants. And yet, both are on the chopping block under DBI's proposed two-year budget plan, which suggests cutting the department's annual $4.8 million allocation for the programs as Mayor Daniel Lurie seeks to eliminate $185 million in grant and contract spending in order to close a looming $800 million two-year city budget shortfall. 'We greatly value and respect the work we've done together, but any grant is dependent on having sufficient funding in our budget. As such, we are invoking the termination stipulation in Section 2.3,' a DBI representative said in the emails sent to nonprofit leaders on Monday, which the Chronicle obtained. The Chinatown Community Development Center, or CCDC, the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, the San Francisco Apartment Association, Dolores Street Services and the Housing Rights Committee, are among the groups that will be impacted by the programs' elimination. Monday felt like 'groundhog day' to service providers who, for the second time in two years, were told that the programs would be defunded. They pushed back against cuts planned by DBI in 2023 under then-Mayor London Breed, and were successful in getting the funding reinstated. Those interviewed by the Chronicle Tuesday said they were blindsided by the news, given that DBI's own commission recommended keeping the programs in place and fully funded earlier this year. 'We were shocked in 2023 and we are shocked this year, mainly because around February we were advocating at the commission as we were expecting about a 25% cut in total,' said Lisa Yu, a policy analyst with CCDC, a local affordable housing developer. 'Everything is in jeopardy.' DBI requested that the recipients of the code enforcement outreach grants 'plan for an end date for your services' on June 30. The move will impact an estimated 15 outreach workers across the list of nonprofits that are funding through the grants, the Chronicle has learned. 'The mayor talked about cutting some nonprofit contracts that emerged during COVID. But CEOP started in 1996. The collaboratives have been here for more than 25 years. These are programs that no one's ever had a negative word to say about,' said Randy Shaw, director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, a low-income tenant advocacy organization that stands to lose roughly $900,000 for its Central City SRO Collaborative program and CEOP. The funding cuts appear to thwart recommendations made by DBI's Building Inspection Commission, which penned a letter to the city's Board of Supervisors in March requesting that the code enforcement outreach grants be fully funded. That letter, obtained by the Chronicle, suggested that Lurie and the Board use general fund dollars to continue to support the programs, and that DBI could increase the inspection fees it charges across the board by 1.5% to 'compensate for the proposed General Fund reductions in support.' 'These providers go to the tenants as well as take complaints. Reduction in outreach services will not mean a reduction in need, it will mean more tenants leave inhabitable apartments and end up homeless or people will suffer health conditions as a result of uninhabitable housing,' the commission warned in its letter. Neither DBI nor Lurie's office immediately responded to the Chronicle's inquiries for comment on the programs' planned elimination. Last week, Lurie unveiled his $15.9 million budget proposal, which he said prioritizes the city's core services, including clean street and public safety. Declaring an end to what he described as the ' era of soaring city budgets,' his plan includes slashing 1,400 city jobs. The proposed cuts come as the city's revenues remain impacted by high commercial vacancy rates and sluggish tourism downtown. CEOP and the SRO Collaborative program were previously placed in jeopardy under former Mayor London Breed, who sought to patch a growing budget deficit in 2023 by ordering city departments to trim their budgets. The funding was ultimately restored, though the total allocation for the programs was reduced by 10%, according to Yu, of CCDC. She said that the nonprofit providers expected another 15% funding cut for the outreach programs. 'We're all really confused on what happened, because we weren't expecting a 100% funding cut when the issue was presented to the Commission in February,' Yu said. CEOP has received about $1.7 million from the total grant allocation, while the SRO program received about $3.8 million. The nonprofits that have historically received the funding are operating on five-year contracts that are due to expire next June. Yu said that CCDC runs the SRO Collaborative, for which it receives about $1.5 million in annual funding. It also receives about $272,500 for CEOP. 'We have housing counseling, and we provide fire prevention workshops. For home visits alone, we visit about 43 SROs in Chinatown with about 80 SRO families total,' Yu said, adding that the nonprofit assists about 86 clients per quarter with housing counseling services. 'About 183 tenants attended our fire and disaster preparedness workshops per quarter,' she said. About 16% of the Housing Rights Committee's total budget, or $617,000, comes from the DBI grant, according to the nonprofit's executive director, Maria Zamudio. HRC has long provided housing counseling and advocates for tenants rights in San Francisco. 'We provide language access to tenants who are not going to be able to just connect directly with a building inspector, or are not able to navigate the DBI website. We also ensure that there is support for (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) tenants, who have some of the most egregious habitability conditions in the city,' Zamudio said. 'In this political moment, with all of the attacks on immigrants and all of the attacks on HUD funding at the federal level, to feel those attacks locally and in a way that doesn't need to happen … really shows where the priorities for this new administration are,' she said. Tenant advocacy organizations aren't the only ones impacted by the proposed cuts. The San Francisco Apartment Association advocates for property owners on a 'shoestring budget,' according to spokesperson Charley Goss. The organization faces a funding reduction of close to $150,000 if the code enforcement outreach programs are cut. 'There are difficult decisions that have to be made with regard to the budget. But, from our perspective, these are maybe the only programs where you have tenant groups and landlord groups working together for a common goal, which is to improve living conditions in apartment buildings,' Goss said. 'We've seen firsthand that the programs work … and we believe they also save the city money. We have nonprofits doing the work to get buildings up to code, which saves the city money via their inspectors. The inspectors don't have to do that work.'
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
British boys targeted by Nigerian crime gangs in online sex blackmail scams
British teenage boys are being blackmailed by Nigerian crime gangs posing as young women in a surge of online sexual extortion. Criminals are targeting boys as young as 14 on social media – tricking them into sending explicit images before demanding payments of around £100, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned. While most victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse are female, 90 per cent of 'sextortion' victims are boys aged 14 to 17. The surge is being driven by organised criminals overseas who pose as young women and manipulate and blackmail victims into handing over money by threatening to release intimate images. The majority of perpetrators are based in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and the Philippines, the NCA says. Marie Smith, a senior manager at the NCA's child exploitation and online protection command (CEOP), described the abuse as 'extremely disturbing.''The majority of offenders we see are from West African countries,' she said. 'They use fake profiles of young women, persuading boys to send indecent images by promising explicit pictures in return.'Once they have the images, they pressure the victim to pay quickly – sometimes giving them just minutes before threatening to expose them.'She added: 'Do not pay – stay calm. We can help. If you pay once, they will just demand more.' The agency has launched a campaign to warn boys of the dangers, amid growing concerns that sextortion is pushing some victims to take their own lives. The campaign, launched on Wednesday, will target boys aged 15 to 17 on social media platforms including Instagram, Reddit and Snapchat. It aims to educate teenagers on how sextortion works, the tactics offenders use, and how to report incidents. Sextortion typically involves offenders coercing victims into sending nude or semi-nude photos – or manipulating existing images – before threatening to expose them unless they pay money. In some cases, blackmail occurs within an hour of first contact. Alex Murray, the NCA director of threat leadership, said: 'Sextortion is unimaginably cruel and can have devastating consequences for victims. 'This campaign will help empower young boys, giving them the knowledge to spot the dangers posed by this crime type and how to report it. 'Sadly, teenagers in the UK and around the world have taken their own lives because of sextortion, which has been a major factor behind launching this campaign.' The NCA's CEOP Safety Centre received 380 sextortion reports in 2024 alone. Meanwhile, UK police recorded an average of 117 monthly reports involving under-18s in the first five months of the same year. In the United States, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 28,000 sextortion reports globally in 2024 – up from 26,718 the previous year. Research commissioned by the NCA found 74 per cent of boys surveyed did not fully understand sextortion, while a similar proportion failed to recognise requests for nude images as a warning sign. Nearly three-quarters did not know how to report the crime, and only 12 per cent believed they could be at risk. Alongside the campaign, the NCA has issued guidance for parents and carers on how to recognise sextortion risks, talk to their children about the dangers, and support victims. The campaign follows an unprecedented NCA alert to teachers last April, which reached an estimated two-thirds of UK teaching staff. Teachers reported feeling better equipped to recognise and respond to cases of sextortion as a result. The campaign comes amid rising concerns about child sexual abuse, with recent figures revealing that nearly 40,000 such offences were committed by children in 2023. Analysis of data from 44 police forces in England and Wales found that more than half of the 115,489 child sexual abuse and exploitation offences recorded last year were committed by offenders aged 10 to 17. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
20-03-2025
- Telegraph
British boys targeted by Nigerian crime gangs in online sex blackmail scams
British teenage boys are being blackmailed by Nigerian crime gangs posing as young women in a surge of online sexual extortion. Criminals are targeting boys as young as 14 on social media – tricking them into sending explicit images before demanding payments of around £100, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned. While most victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse are female, 90 per cent of 'sextortion' victims are boys aged 14 to 17. The surge is being driven by organised criminals overseas who pose as young women and manipulate and blackmail victims into handing over money by threatening to release intimate images. The majority of perpetrators are based in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and the Philippines, the NCA says. Marie Smith, a senior manager at the NCA's child exploitation and online protection command (CEOP), described the abuse as 'extremely disturbing.' 'The majority of offenders we see are from West African countries,' she said. 'They use fake profiles of young women, persuading boys to send indecent images by promising explicit pictures in return. 'Once they have the images, they pressure the victim to pay quickly – sometimes giving them just minutes before threatening to expose them.' She added: 'Do not pay – stay calm. We can help. If you pay once, they will just demand more.' 'Devastating consequences' The agency has launched a campaign to warn boys of the dangers, amid growing concerns that sextortion is pushing some victims to take their own lives. The campaign, launched on Wednesday, will target boys aged 15 to 17 on social media platforms including Instagram, Reddit and Snapchat. It aims to educate teenagers on how sextortion works, the tactics offenders use, and how to report incidents. Sextortion typically involves offenders coercing victims into sending nude or semi-nude photos – or manipulating existing images – before threatening to expose them unless they pay money. In some cases, blackmail occurs within an hour of first contact. Alex Murray, the NCA director of threat leadership, said: 'Sextortion is unimaginably cruel and can have devastating consequences for victims. 'This campaign will help empower young boys, giving them the knowledge to spot the dangers posed by this crime type and how to report it. 'Sadly, teenagers in the UK and around the world have taken their own lives because of sextortion, which has been a major factor behind launching this campaign.' Boys fail to recognise warning signs The NCA's CEOP Safety Centre received 380 sextortion reports in 2024 alone. Meanwhile, UK police recorded an average of 117 monthly reports involving under-18s in the first five months of the same year. In the United States, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 28,000 sextortion reports globally in 2024 – up from 26,718 the previous year. Research commissioned by the NCA found 74 per cent of boys surveyed did not fully understand sextortion, while a similar proportion failed to recognise requests for nude images as a warning sign. Nearly three-quarters did not know how to report the crime, and only 12 per cent believed they could be at risk. Alongside the campaign, the NCA has issued guidance for parents and carers on how to recognise sextortion risks, talk to their children about the dangers, and support victims. The campaign follows an unprecedented NCA alert to teachers last April, which reached an estimated two-thirds of UK teaching staff. Teachers reported feeling better equipped to recognise and respond to cases of sextortion as a result. The campaign comes amid rising concerns about child sexual abuse, with recent figures revealing that nearly 40,000 such offences were committed by children in 2023. Analysis of data from 44 police forces in England and Wales found that more than half of the 115,489 child sexual abuse and exploitation offences recorded last year were committed by offenders aged 10 to 17.
The Independent
20-03-2025
- The Independent
British teenage boys being targeted by Nigerian ‘sextortion' gangs
British teenage boys are being blackmailed by Nigerian crime gangs posing as young women in a surge of online sexual extortion, the National Crime Agency has warned. Officials warned that criminals are targeting boys as young as 14 over Snapchat and Instagram – tricking them into sending explicit images before demanding payments of around £100. While most victims of child sexual exploitation are female, 90% of sextortion victims are boys aged 14 to 17. If they refuse to pay, the gangs threaten to share the compromising pictures with parents, friends, and schools. Along with Nigeria, fraudsters often come from the Ivory Coast and the Philippines, the NCA said. Marie Smith, a senior manager at the NCA's child exploitation and online protection command (CEOP), described the abuse as 'extremely disturbing.' 'The majority of offenders we see are from West African countries,' she said. 'They use fake profiles of young women, persuading boys to send indecent images by promising explicit pictures in return. 'Once they have the images, they pressure the victim to pay quickly – sometimes giving them just minutes before threatening to expose them.' While teenagers are the primary targets, adults as old as 30 have also fallen victim to scams, the NCA said. In some cases, victims have taken their own lives out of fear that the images will be shared. The NCA has launched an awareness campaign, urging victims not to panic or pay the blackmailers. Ms Smith said: 'Do not pay – stay calm. We can help. If you pay once, they will just demand more.' She added that the NCA is working with enforcement officers in Nigeria to crack down on the gangs. She said: 'We're working internationally with our Nigerian counterparts, which is where we're seeing most of this abuse happening. 'Nothing is off the cards and we hope to hold these criminals accountable.' The campaign, launching on Thursday, will reach boys aged 15 to 17 through social media platforms such as Instagram, Reddit, and Snapchat. It will warn them about sextortion tactics and how to report incidents safely. NCA director of threat leadership Alex Murray said: 'Sextortion is unimaginably cruel and can have devastating consequences for victims. 'This campaign will help empower young boys, giving them the knowledge to spot the dangers posed by this crime type and how to report it. 'It supports them to understand that if it does happen, it is never their fault. 'It will also take the advantage away from the criminals responsible, whose only motivation is financial gain. 'Sadly, teenagers in the UK and around the world have taken their own lives because of 'sextortion', which has been a major factor behind launching this campaign.' The NCA's CEOP safety centre received 380 sextortion reports in 2024 alone. Meanwhile, UK police recorded an average of 117 monthly reports involving under-18s in the first five months of the same year. In the United States, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 28,000 sextortion reports globally in 2024 – up from 26,718 the previous year. Research commissioned by the NCA ahead of the campaign found that 74% of boys surveyed did not fully understand sextortion, while a similar proportion failed to recognise requests for nude images as a warning sign. Nearly three-quarters (73%) did not know how to report the crime, and only 12% believed they could be at risk. The NCA has also issued guidance for parents and carers on how to recognise sextortion risks, talk to their children about the dangers, and support victims. The campaign follows an unprecedented NCA alert to teachers last April, which reached an estimated two-thirds of UK teaching staff. Teachers reported feeling better equipped to recognise and respond to cases of sextortion as a result. The campaign comes amid rising concerns about child sexual abuse, with recent figures revealing that nearly 40,000 such offences were committed by children in 2023. Analysis of data from 44 police forces in England and Wales found that more than half of the 115,489 child sexual abuse and exploitation offences recorded last year were committed by offenders aged 10 to 17.
The Guardian
20-03-2025
- The Guardian
More than 110 child sextortion attempts reported each month to UK police forces
UK police forces are receiving more than 110 reports of child sextortion attempts every month, according to the National Crime Agency, as a new awareness campaign is launched about the online scourge. The NCA said the use of artificial intelligence in sextortion attacks had also increased 'substantially' over the past three years as criminals adapted their methods. The agency said in the first five months of 2024 – the first time it has collected such data – police forces received an average of 117 reports of sextortion from under-18s each month. Sextortion is a form of blackmail where teenagers – typically boys, although incidents involving girls are increasing – are tricked into sending nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves to fraudsters who have made contact on social media and messaging platforms. The criminals then demand money and threaten to share the material publicly or with people known to the victims. The new NCA campaign, launched on Thursday, will feature on social media platforms including Instagram, Reddit and Snapchat. 'The key message to victims is they are not to blame, it is not their fault and they are not alone. Support is available and they will receive a sympathetic hearing,' said Sean Sutton, a senior manager at the NCA. The campaign, asking the question 'Being blackmailed after sharing a nude?', also carries the slogan 'Stay calm. Don't pay' and asks victims to contact the NCA's CEOP (child exploitation and online protection) platform, which is staffed by child protection specialists. The NCA said CEOP received 380 sextortion reports in 2024. Sutton said he hoped the campaign, which follows a drive last year to alert teachers to the sextortion threat to pupils, would reach parents and carers as well. Last month the Internet Watch Foundation, an online safety watchdog, revealed that childrenaged 11 to 13 were being targeted by sextortion criminals for the first time. Sutton said the 15- to 17-year-old age group remained the most affected child demographic. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The NCA has also seen an increase in digitally manipulated or AI-generated sextortion attempts, when victims have not been tricked into sending an intimate image of themselves before being blackmailed. Sutton said the NCA presumed AI-generated attempts were going to become more frequent as the technology proliferated. 'There is going to be more potential for them to perpetrate these crimes,' he said. Sextortion gangs are usually based overseas in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and the Philippines. Sutton said the NCA remained in discussions with Nigerian authorities about tackling offenders, with extradition of sextortion criminals among the options. 'We are in the process of trying to do more work with the Nigerians and any country where there is a focus on this type of crime,' he said.
