11-02-2025
Oregon DOJ alerts families to ‘alarming trend' of surging child sextortion cases
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Oregon officials have found there was an almost nine-fold increase in child sexual extortion cases in just five years.
Citing data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Oregon Attorney General's Office revealed that 'sextortion' cases involving minors surged by 857% from 2020 to 2024.
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The Oregon Department of Justice defined 'sextortion' as a form of blackmail in which children befriend strangers posing as their peers on social media, who later ask them to send sexually explicit images of themselves. The strangers then threaten to distribute the photos if the child doesn't send them money.
Years after the revealed an increase in sextortion directed at teenage boys, ODOJ is reporting this 'alarming trend' has continued to impact children nationwide. Agencies are now striving to raise awareness in honor of Safer Internet Day — which falls on Feb. 11.
According to Mark Williamson, who serves as an assistant chief criminal investigator with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, crime is the 'biggest issue' investigators have seen involving kids.
'Our children are being targeted and the end results can be devastating for them and their families,' Williamson said in a statement.
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ODOJ noted that many affected families are unaware their child is a victim of sextortion until 'after a tragedy,' due to the minor being too embarrassed to report the problem. ICAC's is now providing a guide that advises families on how to address the issue.
'One of my biggest priorities as attorney general is keeping children and families safe,' Attorney General Dan Rayfield said. 'We want them to have all the tools they need to fight back if this happens to them. These online resources are a great way to give them some control and power. And we're sending a message to the suspects in these cases that we will find them, and there will be serious consequences.'
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