Latest news with #OperationArtemis
Forbes
05-07-2025
- Forbes
FBI's Operation Artemis Brings Sextortion Charges Against 22 Nigerians
South Carolina Rep. Branon Guffey speaks to senators outside the House chamber in Columbia, South ... More Carolina, Wednesday, May 2, 2023. Guffey’s 17-year-old son took his own life in July 2022 after a Nigerian man posed as a woman and then tried to extort the teen after he sent nude photos. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) Sextortion is a crime in which adult predators, often posing as young girls, contact teenage boys on a variety of online platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Discord and gaming apps and then lure the teenage boys into providing nude photos or videos or engage in explicit sexual activity online not knowing it is being recorded. The sextortionist then threatens to post the photos or videos online unless a substantial payment is made, generally by gift cards or cryptocurrencies. Between October 2024 and March 2025, the FBI reported a 30% increase in reported sextortion crimes and the number of actual occurrences is most likely significantly higher. The number of reported victims increased from 34,000 in 2023 to 54,000 in 2024. The FBI estimates that in the past two years criminals have taken in payments of more than $65 million from sextortion victims. Even more disturbingly, the FBI attributes at least 20 suicides of young boys to sextortion. Recently the FBI announced Operation Artemis, a joint effort with law enforcement partners in Canada, Australia, Nigeria and the United Kingdom targeting sextortion criminals in Nigeria resulted in the arrest of 22 Nigerians alleged to be connected to sophisticated, organized sextortion rings. According to the FBI, half of those arrested were directly linked to sextortion victims who committed suicide. In 2023 South Carolina passed a bill called Gavin's Law that criminalized extorting minors or at-risk adults. It was named after the son of a South Carolina legislator whose teenage son committed suicide after being a victim of sextortion. One of the men arrested through Operation Artemis, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal has been charged with being the sextortionist whose actions led to the suicide of Gavin Guffey. He is presently awaiting trial in South Carolina on charges of child exploitation resulting in death, distribution of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, cyberestalking, and interstate threats with intent to extort. Making the sextortion problem even worse is an upsurge in sextortion assistance companies which charge thousands of dollars for their help in stopping and removing the photos and videos from appearing online. According to the FBI these companies provide no better assistance than you can get for free and, in some instances, actually are the same criminals perpetrating the sextortion scams themselves. Some offer to send cease and desist orders which sound good but are totally unenforceable. Ads for sextortion assistance companies appear throughout social media and even in posts on victim support forums. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a free service for minors entitled Take It Down, which has been approved by the FBI, that can remove images from cooperating social media platforms, but not from text messaging platforms. Victims of sextortion who are over 18 can use the free platform which uses similar technology to that used by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to remove videos and photos from social media platforms. In a positive development, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram removed 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria that were being used for sextortion. They also removed thousands of Facebook accounts and 5,700 Facebook Groups in Nigeria that were used by scammers to sell scripts and guides to criminals seeking to profit from sextortion. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to take the faces and images of people in photographs and videos and put them into realistic appearing pornographic videos has been with us since 2017 although until recently it had been primarily used to create deepfake pornographic videos using the faces of famous actresses such as Gal Gadot, Emma Watson, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Recently, however, the technology has been used by criminals for purposes of sextortion. The FBI has issued a warning about this crime. Meta has removed advertising on Facebook and Instagram for an AI app called CrushAI that allowed users to generate fake nude photos from regular photos. Sextortion criminals use apps such as this for purposes of sextortion using a conventional non-nude photo provided by the sextortion victim. The FBI advises parents to tell their children to be very careful as to what they share online. Social media accounts which are open to everyone provide predators and scammers with much information that the scammers can use to lure people into scams. Parents should discuss the appropriate privacy settings with their children for all of their accounts. Parents should also specifically discuss the dangers of sextortion with their children as well as remind them that they can never be sure as to who they are communicating with online and they should be particularly skeptical if they meet someone on a game or app who then asks to communicate with them on a different platform.
The Advertiser
03-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Blackmail scam aimed at teens leads to arrests by Australian police, FBI
Almost two dozen alleged online sextortion perpetrators have been arrested amid an international probe into the blackmail of teenagers in Australia, the United States and Canada. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other global agencies to arrest 22 sextortion suspects in Nigeria. Two of the alleged offenders were linked to the suicide of a 16-year-old boy in NSW in 2023, police said. Police believe the boy committed suicide after engaging with the scammers online, who threatened to share personal photos with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. "The network's scheme, which coerced victims into sharing sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute those images unless payment was made, had devastating consequences," police said. More than 20 teen suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion scams since 2021. The joint operation, Operation Artemis, included two AFP investigators deployed in Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects, and help in the identification of perpetrators and victims. Investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) also offered expert analysis on data seized by foreign law enforcement, police said. In Australia, the ACCCE received a total of 58,503 reports of online child exploitation, including 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. AFP acting commander Ben Moses said the global operation sent a clear message to scammers targeting children online. "Law enforcement is united and determined to find you - no matter where you hide," he said. "These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. "Thanks to the coordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia." Help is available: The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has developed the online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites. The ACCCE has also created a dedicated sextortion help page with resources and information on how to report sextortion. Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000. If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available. Almost two dozen alleged online sextortion perpetrators have been arrested amid an international probe into the blackmail of teenagers in Australia, the United States and Canada. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other global agencies to arrest 22 sextortion suspects in Nigeria. Two of the alleged offenders were linked to the suicide of a 16-year-old boy in NSW in 2023, police said. Police believe the boy committed suicide after engaging with the scammers online, who threatened to share personal photos with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. "The network's scheme, which coerced victims into sharing sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute those images unless payment was made, had devastating consequences," police said. More than 20 teen suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion scams since 2021. The joint operation, Operation Artemis, included two AFP investigators deployed in Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects, and help in the identification of perpetrators and victims. Investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) also offered expert analysis on data seized by foreign law enforcement, police said. In Australia, the ACCCE received a total of 58,503 reports of online child exploitation, including 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. AFP acting commander Ben Moses said the global operation sent a clear message to scammers targeting children online. "Law enforcement is united and determined to find you - no matter where you hide," he said. "These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. "Thanks to the coordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia." Help is available: The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has developed the online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites. The ACCCE has also created a dedicated sextortion help page with resources and information on how to report sextortion. Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000. If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available. Almost two dozen alleged online sextortion perpetrators have been arrested amid an international probe into the blackmail of teenagers in Australia, the United States and Canada. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other global agencies to arrest 22 sextortion suspects in Nigeria. Two of the alleged offenders were linked to the suicide of a 16-year-old boy in NSW in 2023, police said. Police believe the boy committed suicide after engaging with the scammers online, who threatened to share personal photos with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. "The network's scheme, which coerced victims into sharing sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute those images unless payment was made, had devastating consequences," police said. More than 20 teen suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion scams since 2021. The joint operation, Operation Artemis, included two AFP investigators deployed in Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects, and help in the identification of perpetrators and victims. Investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) also offered expert analysis on data seized by foreign law enforcement, police said. In Australia, the ACCCE received a total of 58,503 reports of online child exploitation, including 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. AFP acting commander Ben Moses said the global operation sent a clear message to scammers targeting children online. "Law enforcement is united and determined to find you - no matter where you hide," he said. "These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. "Thanks to the coordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia." Help is available: The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has developed the online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites. The ACCCE has also created a dedicated sextortion help page with resources and information on how to report sextortion. Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000. If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available. Almost two dozen alleged online sextortion perpetrators have been arrested amid an international probe into the blackmail of teenagers in Australia, the United States and Canada. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other global agencies to arrest 22 sextortion suspects in Nigeria. Two of the alleged offenders were linked to the suicide of a 16-year-old boy in NSW in 2023, police said. Police believe the boy committed suicide after engaging with the scammers online, who threatened to share personal photos with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. "The network's scheme, which coerced victims into sharing sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute those images unless payment was made, had devastating consequences," police said. More than 20 teen suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion scams since 2021. The joint operation, Operation Artemis, included two AFP investigators deployed in Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects, and help in the identification of perpetrators and victims. Investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) also offered expert analysis on data seized by foreign law enforcement, police said. In Australia, the ACCCE received a total of 58,503 reports of online child exploitation, including 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. AFP acting commander Ben Moses said the global operation sent a clear message to scammers targeting children online. "Law enforcement is united and determined to find you - no matter where you hide," he said. "These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. "Thanks to the coordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia." Help is available: The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has developed the online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites. The ACCCE has also created a dedicated sextortion help page with resources and information on how to report sextortion. Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000. If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available.
7NEWS
02-06-2025
- 7NEWS
Police arrest 22 men over sextortion after NSW teen dies in bedroom
Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of child abuse A dedicated operation targeting sextortion has resulted in the arrest of 22 suspects in Nigeria. Two of those men are allegedly linked to the death of a 16-year-old NSW boy, who was found dead in his bedroom in 2023. The teen boy had believed he was talking to a woman of European background on social media, when he began to receive increasingly sexualised images. He was initially lured into the conversation with non-sexual 'banter', before was started receiving bikini shots. 'As the conversation progressed, there were further images exchanged,' NSW Police detective superintendent Matthew Craft said at the time. The teen was coerced into sending back an image to his perpetrator, which was then used to threaten him — the boy was told to pay $500 or the image would be sent to his friends and family. The boy died of suicide in his bedroom within seven hours of receiving the threatening messages. Police discovered the threats in his phone during the investigation into his death, and described the messages as 'horrific'. 'These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress,' AFP said on Monday. The crime impacts thousands of teens globally. The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2024 financial year alone. More than 20 teenage suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion-related cases since 2021, AFP said. 'While many victims were based in North America, the ripple effects of the offending extended to Australia and other nations,' AFP said. Two AFP officers were deployed to Nigeria as part of Operation Artemis, which is led by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in partnership with the AFP, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The two men linked to the 16-year-old NSW boy's sextortion case were found and arrested in a slum village. They were charged over the sextortion, but not the teen's death. Another 20 Nigerian-nationals men were arrested as part of Operation Artemis. 'Since the successful conclusion of the arrest phase of Operation Artemis in early 2023, the AFP observed an immediate reduction in sextortion-related reports,' AFP said. 'The targeting of Australian children by offenders online remains ongoing, however.' The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has an online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites.
The Advertiser
02-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Teenager blackmail scam leads to sweeping arrests by Australian police, FBI
Almost two dozen online sextortion perpetrators have been arrested amid an international probe into the blackmail of teenagers in Australia, the United States and Canada. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other global agencies to arrest 22 sextortion suspects in Nigeria. Two of the alleged offenders were linked to the suicide of a 16-year-old boy in NSW in 2023, police said. Police believe the boy committed suicide after engaging with the scammers online, who threatened to share personal photos with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. "The network's scheme, which coerced victims into sharing sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute those images unless payment was made, had devastating consequences," police said. More than 20 teen suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion scams since 2021. The joint operation, Operation Artemis, included two AFP investigators deployed in Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects, and help in the identification of perpetrators and victims. Investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) also offered expert analysis on data seized by foreign law enforcement, police said. In Australia, the ACCCE received a total of 58,503 reports of online child exploitation, including 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. AFP acting commander Ben Moses said the global operation sent a clear message to scammers targeting children online. "Law enforcement is united and determined to find you - no matter where you hide," he said. "These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. "Thanks to the coordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia." Help is available: The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has developed the online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites. The ACCCE has also created a dedicated sextortion help page with resources and information on how to report sextortion. Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000. If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available. Almost two dozen online sextortion perpetrators have been arrested amid an international probe into the blackmail of teenagers in Australia, the United States and Canada. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other global agencies to arrest 22 sextortion suspects in Nigeria. Two of the alleged offenders were linked to the suicide of a 16-year-old boy in NSW in 2023, police said. Police believe the boy committed suicide after engaging with the scammers online, who threatened to share personal photos with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. "The network's scheme, which coerced victims into sharing sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute those images unless payment was made, had devastating consequences," police said. More than 20 teen suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion scams since 2021. The joint operation, Operation Artemis, included two AFP investigators deployed in Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects, and help in the identification of perpetrators and victims. Investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) also offered expert analysis on data seized by foreign law enforcement, police said. In Australia, the ACCCE received a total of 58,503 reports of online child exploitation, including 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. AFP acting commander Ben Moses said the global operation sent a clear message to scammers targeting children online. "Law enforcement is united and determined to find you - no matter where you hide," he said. "These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. "Thanks to the coordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia." Help is available: The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has developed the online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites. The ACCCE has also created a dedicated sextortion help page with resources and information on how to report sextortion. Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000. If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available. Almost two dozen online sextortion perpetrators have been arrested amid an international probe into the blackmail of teenagers in Australia, the United States and Canada. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other global agencies to arrest 22 sextortion suspects in Nigeria. Two of the alleged offenders were linked to the suicide of a 16-year-old boy in NSW in 2023, police said. Police believe the boy committed suicide after engaging with the scammers online, who threatened to share personal photos with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. "The network's scheme, which coerced victims into sharing sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute those images unless payment was made, had devastating consequences," police said. More than 20 teen suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion scams since 2021. The joint operation, Operation Artemis, included two AFP investigators deployed in Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects, and help in the identification of perpetrators and victims. Investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) also offered expert analysis on data seized by foreign law enforcement, police said. In Australia, the ACCCE received a total of 58,503 reports of online child exploitation, including 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. AFP acting commander Ben Moses said the global operation sent a clear message to scammers targeting children online. "Law enforcement is united and determined to find you - no matter where you hide," he said. "These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. "Thanks to the coordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia." Help is available: The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has developed the online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites. The ACCCE has also created a dedicated sextortion help page with resources and information on how to report sextortion. Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000. If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available. Almost two dozen online sextortion perpetrators have been arrested amid an international probe into the blackmail of teenagers in Australia, the United States and Canada. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and other global agencies to arrest 22 sextortion suspects in Nigeria. Two of the alleged offenders were linked to the suicide of a 16-year-old boy in NSW in 2023, police said. Police believe the boy committed suicide after engaging with the scammers online, who threatened to share personal photos with his family and friends if he did not pay $500. "The network's scheme, which coerced victims into sharing sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute those images unless payment was made, had devastating consequences," police said. More than 20 teen suicides in the US have been linked to sextortion scams since 2021. The joint operation, Operation Artemis, included two AFP investigators deployed in Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects, and help in the identification of perpetrators and victims. Investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) also offered expert analysis on data seized by foreign law enforcement, police said. In Australia, the ACCCE received a total of 58,503 reports of online child exploitation, including 1554 sextortion-related reports in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. AFP acting commander Ben Moses said the global operation sent a clear message to scammers targeting children online. "Law enforcement is united and determined to find you - no matter where you hide," he said. "These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. "Thanks to the coordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia." Help is available: The AFP-led ThinkUKnow program has developed the online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit aimed at young people, aged 13 to 17, and is available from the ThinkUKnow and ACCCE websites. The ACCCE has also created a dedicated sextortion help page with resources and information on how to report sextortion. Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now, or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000. If you, or someone you know, is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available.
West Australian
02-06-2025
- West Australian
Nigerian sextortion ring allegedly linked to NSW teen's death smashed by AFP, 22 arrested
A Nigerian sextortion ring – which is linked to the death of an Aussie teenager – has been smashed by Australian Federal Police (AFP) and international police. The joint operation was led by the FBI, AFP, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, who were tasked with 'dismantling' an alleged organised crime network responsible for a wave of online sextortion crimes targeting teenagers all over the world. It is alleged the network coerced victims into sending sexually explicit images before threatening to share them unless payment was made. 22 men were arrested as part of the joint police operation, titled Operation Artemis. Two of the 22 were Nigerian-based offenders who are alleged to be linked to the death of a 16-year-old boy in NSW, who took his own life in 2023 after they allegedly threatened to share intimate images with his family and friends if he did not pay them money. In the US, more than 20 teenage suicides were linked to the sextortion network since AFP investigators were sent to Nigeria to trace online activity, link digital evidence to suspects and assist in the identification of the perpetrators and the victims. Data seized by foreign law enforcement was also analysed by investigators from the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), as well as supporting the process to avoid overlap with investigations. There has been a growing sophistication and volume of online abuse attempts targeting Australian children. Between the 2023 and 2024 financial year, the ACCCE received 58,503 reports of online child exploitation locally, including 1554 sextortion-related reports. AFP Acting Commander and leader of the ACCCE Ben Moses said the outcome was a result of international co-operation. 'This global operation sends a clear message to those who exploit children online. Law enforcement is united and determined to find you — no matter where you hide,' he said. 'These crimes are calculated and devastating, often pushing vulnerable young people into extreme distress. 'Thanks to the co-ordinated action of our partners, we achieved meaningful results including an immediate and significant reduction in sextortion reports across Australia.' mental health helplines
