Latest news with #digitalblackmail
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Malay Mail
Why AI-generated nudes are pushing minors to suicide; and tech firms can't stop it
WASHINGTON, July 17 — After a Kentucky teenager died by suicide this year, his parents discovered he had received threatening texts demanding US$3,000 to suppress an AI-generated nude image of him. The tragedy underscores how so-called sextortion scams targeting children are growing around the world, particularly with the rapid proliferation of 'nudify' apps – AI tools that digitally strip off clothing or generate sexualized imagery. Elijah Heacock, 16, was just one of thousands of American minors targeted by such digital blackmail, which has spurred calls for more action from tech platforms and regulators. His parents told US media that the text messages ordered him to pay up or an apparently AI-generated nude photo would be sent to his family and friends. 'The people that are after our children are well organized,' John Burnett, the boy's father, said in a CBS News interview. 'They are well financed, and they are relentless. They don't need the photos to be real, they can generate whatever they want, and then they use it to blackmail the child.' US investigators were looking into the case, which comes as nudify apps – which rose to prominence targeting celebrities – are being increasingly weaponized against children. The FBI has reported a 'horrific increase' in sextortion cases targeting US minors, with victims typically males between the ages of 14 and 17. The threat has led to an 'alarming number of suicides,' the agency warned. Instruments of abuse In a recent survey, Thorn, a non-profit focused on preventing online child exploitation, found that six percent of American teens have been a direct victim of deepfake nudes. 'Reports of fakes and deepfakes – many of which are generated using these 'nudifying' services – seem to be closely linked with reports of financial sextortion, or blackmail with sexually explicit images,' the British watchdog Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said in a report last year. 'Perpetrators no longer need to source intimate images from children because images that are convincing enough to be harmful – maybe even as harmful as real images in some cases – can be produced using generative AI.' The IWF identified one 'pedophile guide' developed by predators that explicitly encouraged perpetrators to use nudifying tools to generate material to blackmail children. The author of the guide claimed to have successfully blackmailed some 13-year-old girls. The tools are a lucrative business. A new analysis of 85 websites selling nudify services found they may be collectively worth up to US$36 million a year. The analysis from Indicator, a US publication investigating digital deception, estimates that 18 of the sites made between US$2.6 million and US$18.4 million over the six months to May. Most of the sites rely on tech infrastructure from Google, Amazon, and Cloudflare to operate, and remain profitable despite crackdowns by platforms and regulators, Indicator said. 'Whack-a-mole' The proliferation of AI tools has led to new forms of abuse impacting children, including pornography scandals at universities and schools worldwide, where teenagers created sexualized images of their own classmates. A recent Save the Children survey found that one in five young people in Spain have been victims of deepfake nudes, with those images shared online without their consent. Earlier this year, Spanish prosecutors said they were investigating three minors in the town of Puertollano for allegedly targeting their classmates and teachers with AI-generated pornographic content and distributing it in their school. In the United Kingdom, the government this year made creating sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offense, with perpetrators facing up to two years in jail. And in May, US President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan 'Take It Down Act,' which criminalizes the non-consensual publication of intimate images, while also mandating their removal from online platforms. Meta also recently announced it was filing a lawsuit against a Hong Kong company behind a nudify app called Crush AI, which it said repeatedly circumvented the tech giant's rules to post ads on its platforms. But despite such measures, researchers say AI nudifying sites remain resilient. 'To date, the fight against AI nudifiers has been a game of whack-a-mole,' Indicator said, calling the apps and sites 'persistent and malicious adversaries.' — AFP
News.com.au
6 days ago
- News.com.au
AI-powered 'nudify' apps fuel deadly wave of digital blackmail
After a Kentucky teenager died by suicide this year, his parents discovered he had received threatening texts demanding $3,000 to suppress an AI-generated nude image of him. The tragedy underscores how so-called sextortion scams targeting children are growing around the world, particularly with the rapid proliferation of "nudify" apps -- AI tools that digitally strip off clothing or generate sexualized imagery. Elijah Heacock, 16, was just one of thousands of American minors targeted by such digital blackmail, which has spurred calls for more action from tech platforms and regulators. His parents told US media that the text messages ordered him to pay up or an apparently AI-generated nude photo would be sent to his family and friends. "The people that are after our children are well organized," John Burnett, the boy's father, said in a CBS News interview. "They are well financed, and they are relentless. They don't need the photos to be real, they can generate whatever they want, and then they use it to blackmail the child." US investigators were looking into the case, which comes as nudify apps -- which rose to prominence targeting celebrities -- are being increasingly weaponized against children. The FBI has reported a "horrific increase" in sextortion cases targeting US minors, with victims typically males between the ages of 14 and 17. The threat has led to an "alarming number of suicides," the agency warned. - Instruments of abuse - In a recent survey, Thorn, a non-profit focused on preventing online child exploitation, found that six percent of American teens have been a direct victim of deepfake nudes. "Reports of fakes and deepfakes -- many of which are generated using these 'nudifying' services -- seem to be closely linked with reports of financial sextortion, or blackmail with sexually explicit images," the British watchdog Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said in a report last year. "Perpetrators no longer need to source intimate images from children because images that are convincing enough to be harmful -- maybe even as harmful as real images in some cases -- can be produced using generative AI." The IWF identified one "pedophile guide" developed by predators that explicitly encouraged perpetrators to use nudifying tools to generate material to blackmail children. The author of the guide claimed to have successfully blackmailed some 13-year-old girls. The tools are a lucrative business. A new analysis of 85 websites selling nudify services found they may be collectively worth up to $36 million a year. The analysis from Indicator, a US publication investigating digital deception, estimates that 18 of the sites made between $2.6 million and $18.4 million over the six months to May. Most of the sites rely on tech infrastructure from Google, Amazon, and Cloudflare to operate, and remain profitable despite crackdowns by platforms and regulators, Indicator said. - 'Whack-a-mole' - The proliferation of AI tools has led to new forms of abuse impacting children, including pornography scandals at universities and schools worldwide, where teenagers created sexualized images of their own classmates. A recent Save the Children survey found that one in five young people in Spain have been victims of deepfake nudes, with those images shared online without their consent. Earlier this year, Spanish prosecutors said they were investigating three minors in the town of Puertollano for allegedly targeting their classmates and teachers with AI-generated pornographic content and distributing it in their school. In the United Kingdom, the government this year made creating sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offense, with perpetrators facing up to two years in jail. And in May, US President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan "Take It Down Act," which criminalizes the non-consensual publication of intimate images, while also mandating their removal from online platforms. Meta also recently announced it was filing a lawsuit against a Hong Kong company behind a nudify app called Crush AI, which it said repeatedly circumvented the tech giant's rules to post ads on its platforms. But despite such measures, researchers say AI nudifying sites remain resilient.
France 24
6 days ago
- France 24
AI-powered 'nudify' apps fuel deadly wave of digital blackmail
The tragedy underscores how so-called sextortion scams targeting children are growing around the world, particularly with the rapid proliferation of "nudify" apps -- AI tools that digitally strip off clothing or generate sexualized imagery. Elijah Heacock, 16, was just one of thousands of American minors targeted by such digital blackmail, which has spurred calls for more action from tech platforms and regulators. His parents told US media that the text messages ordered him to pay up or an apparently AI-generated nude photo would be sent to his family and friends. "The people that are after our children are well organized," John Burnett, the boy's father, said in a CBS News interview. "They are well financed, and they are relentless. They don't need the photos to be real, they can generate whatever they want, and then they use it to blackmail the child." US investigators were looking into the case, which comes as nudify apps -- which rose to prominence targeting celebrities -- are being increasingly weaponized against children. The FBI has reported a "horrific increase" in sextortion cases targeting US minors, with victims typically males between the ages of 14 and 17. The threat has led to an "alarming number of suicides," the agency warned. Instruments of abuse In a recent survey, Thorn, a non-profit focused on preventing online child exploitation, found that six percent of American teens have been a direct victim of deepfake nudes. "Reports of fakes and deepfakes -- many of which are generated using these 'nudifying' services -- seem to be closely linked with reports of financial sextortion, or blackmail with sexually explicit images," the British watchdog Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said in a report last year. "Perpetrators no longer need to source intimate images from children because images that are convincing enough to be harmful -- maybe even as harmful as real images in some cases -- can be produced using generative AI." The IWF identified one "pedophile guide" developed by predators that explicitly encouraged perpetrators to use nudifying tools to generate material to blackmail children. The author of the guide claimed to have successfully blackmailed some 13-year-old girls. The tools are a lucrative business. A new analysis of 85 websites selling nudify services found they may be collectively worth up to $36 million a year. The analysis from Indicator, a US publication investigating digital deception, estimates that 18 of the sites made between $2.6 million and $18.4 million over the six months to May. Most of the sites rely on tech infrastructure from Google, Amazon, and Cloudflare to operate, and remain profitable despite crackdowns by platforms and regulators, Indicator said. 'Whack-a-mole' The proliferation of AI tools has led to new forms of abuse impacting children, including pornography scandals at universities and schools worldwide, where teenagers created sexualized images of their own classmates. A recent Save the Children survey found that one in five young people in Spain have been victims of deepfake nudes, with those images shared online without their consent. Earlier this year, Spanish prosecutors said they were investigating three minors in the town of Puertollano for allegedly targeting their classmates and teachers with AI-generated pornographic content and distributing it in their school. In the United Kingdom, the government this year made creating sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offense, with perpetrators facing up to two years in jail. And in May, US President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan "Take It Down Act," which criminalizes the non-consensual publication of intimate images, while also mandating their removal from online platforms. Meta also recently announced it was filing a lawsuit against a Hong Kong company behind a nudify app called Crush AI, which it said repeatedly circumvented the tech giant's rules to post ads on its platforms. But despite such measures, researchers say AI nudifying sites remain resilient. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
AI-powered 'nudify' apps fuel deadly wave of digital blackmail
After a Kentucky teenager died by suicide this year, his parents discovered he had received threatening texts demanding $3,000 to suppress an AI-generated nude image of him. The tragedy underscores how so-called sextortion scams targeting children are growing around the world, particularly with the rapid proliferation of "nudify" apps -- AI tools that digitally strip off clothing or generate sexualized imagery. Elijah Heacock, 16, was just one of thousands of American minors targeted by such digital blackmail, which has spurred calls for more action from tech platforms and regulators. His parents told US media that the text messages ordered him to pay up or an apparently AI-generated nude photo would be sent to his family and friends. "The people that are after our children are well organized," John Burnett, the boy's father, said in a CBS News interview. "They are well financed, and they are relentless. They don't need the photos to be real, they can generate whatever they want, and then they use it to blackmail the child." US investigators were looking into the case, which comes as nudify apps -- which rose to prominence targeting celebrities -- are being increasingly weaponized against children. The FBI has reported a "horrific increase" in sextortion cases targeting US minors, with victims typically males between the ages of 14 and 17. The threat has led to an "alarming number of suicides," the agency warned. - Instruments of abuse - In a recent survey, Thorn, a non-profit focused on preventing online child exploitation, found that six percent of American teens have been a direct victim of deepfake nudes. "Reports of fakes and deepfakes -- many of which are generated using these 'nudifying' services -- seem to be closely linked with reports of financial sextortion, or blackmail with sexually explicit images," the British watchdog Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said in a report last year. "Perpetrators no longer need to source intimate images from children because images that are convincing enough to be harmful -- maybe even as harmful as real images in some cases -- can be produced using generative AI." The IWF identified one "pedophile guide" developed by predators that explicitly encouraged perpetrators to use nudifying tools to generate material to blackmail children. The author of the guide claimed to have successfully blackmailed some 13-year-old girls. The tools are a lucrative business. A new analysis of 85 websites selling nudify services found they may be collectively worth up to $36 million a year. The analysis from Indicator, a US publication investigating digital deception, estimates that 18 of the sites made between $2.6 million and $18.4 million over the six months to May. Most of the sites rely on tech infrastructure from Google, Amazon, and Cloudflare to operate, and remain profitable despite crackdowns by platforms and regulators, Indicator said. - 'Whack-a-mole' - The proliferation of AI tools has led to new forms of abuse impacting children, including pornography scandals at universities and schools worldwide, where teenagers created sexualized images of their own classmates. A recent Save the Children survey found that one in five young people in Spain have been victims of deepfake nudes, with those images shared online without their consent. Earlier this year, Spanish prosecutors said they were investigating three minors in the town of Puertollano for allegedly targeting their classmates and teachers with AI-generated pornographic content and distributing it in their school. In the United Kingdom, the government this year made creating sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offense, with perpetrators facing up to two years in jail. And in May, US President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan "Take It Down Act," which criminalizes the non-consensual publication of intimate images, while also mandating their removal from online platforms. Meta also recently announced it was filing a lawsuit against a Hong Kong company behind a nudify app called Crush AI, which it said repeatedly circumvented the tech giant's rules to post ads on its platforms. But despite such measures, researchers say AI nudifying sites remain resilient. "To date, the fight against AI nudifiers has been a game of whack-a-mole," Indicator said, calling the apps and sites "persistent and malicious adversaries." burs-ac/des
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Forbes
Digital Blackmail Is Targeting Young Men More Than Ever. Are You Prepared?
One of the most pervasive yet overlooked forms of digital blackmail that targets teen boys ranging from 14-17 years of age is sextortion. Internet scams have come a long way from emails of pseudo-princes asking for money. One of the most pervasive yet overlooked online scams that targets teen boys ranging from 14-17 years of age is sextortion. Run by a network of BM Boys (the BM is short for blackmail), unsuspecting teens are lured into connecting with what looks like a pretty girl on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Before long, these naive youngsters are conned into sharing compromising photos of themselves, which are in turn used to blackmail these boys. According to a recent tally of 'private cases and the latest FBI numbers', at least 30 teenage boys have died from suicide as a result of sextortion attempts. After South Carolina Rep. Brandon Guffey lost his 17-year-old son to suicide from sextortion, he was able to work with the FBI to get the criminal extradited to the United States to face charges. While nothing can bring Guffey's son back, they could at least prevent the same extortionist from causing harm to others with a sentence of 30 years to life if convicted. Part of the reason teen boys are being targeted is because 7.5 percent of them don't realize what sextortion is in the first place, according to a new study from the National Crime Agency in the UK. It's really important that teens realize their parents are a safe place for them to go to if they are contacted by such criminals. It's even more important that parents educate themselves and their children. Although such conversations can be awkward, knowing that the potential of leaked images isn't the end of the world is an important start. On April 28, 2025, Congress passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which criminalizes the sharing or threatening of sharing of non-consensual intimate images. While this is a good first step, it's important for victims to know how to protect themselves. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has some good pointers to keep in mind: 'the blackmailer is to blame, not you' and 'report the account via the platform's safety feature.' These tips may seem obvious, but it's important to always begin with these first steps. Although it can be difficult to remember in the midst of a bad situation, it's imperative not to pay requested funds. Michigan State University's Police and Public Safety page advises victims that paying money, no matter how small the amount, will 'likely increase the threats and extortion efforts of the person attempting to receive money.' Take some deep breaths, don't make rash decisions, and report cyber crimes directly to the proper authorities. Victim Support reminds users that they can make their accounts private to limit who can see them in the first place. By default, a lot of social media sites have privacy settings turned off. It's safer to turn them on and limit your online presence to people you actually know instead of the public at large. If you need a broader education on sextortion, social media companies like Meta and Snap have some good articles on the topic. The more you stay informed, the more you can inform others. What's obvious information for some may be a surprise to others. By declining suspicious messages, refusing to make payments, and being upfront with family about any sextortion attempts, teens can be better armed and forewarned if they become a target.
