Latest news with #onlinepredators
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
4 arrested in McIntosh on child exploitation charges
McINTOSH, Ala. (WKRG) — McIntosh police led a multi-agency operation that took down several online predators, and could lead to more arrests. Woman, firefighter injured in Mobile house fire Wednesday morning According to a McIntosh Police Department news release, seven agencies worked together on the operation that targeted online predators. That operation led to four people being arrested for attempting to exploit minors online and attempting to meet with them in person, the release said. Arrested were: Jerry Bernard King, 31, of Mobile Michael Paul Cantrell, 42, of Citronelle Charleston White, 31, of Citronelle Noah Brody Weaver, 23, of Saraland All were arrested and charged with transmitting obscene material to a child and solicitation of a child by computer. 'This coordinated effort was part of an ongoing initiative focused on identifying and apprehending local predators who use digital platforms to target vulnerable youth,' the release said. The operation, which includes representatives from the McIntosh Police Department, Washington County District Attorney's Office, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Jackson Police Department, Creola Police Department and Mobile Police Department, is continuing and more arrests are expected, according to the release. A McIntosh Police spokesperson said offenders should not think that rural agencies are less capable of fighting crime than those in big cities. Surveillance video shows break-in at Fruitdale store 'This operation sends a clear and direct message: If you believe that being in a rural area allows you to commit crimes undetected, think again,' said a spokesperson for the McIntosh Police Department. 'We have the tools, resources, and interagency support to investigate and prosecute criminal activity with the same level of sophistication as any major department. If you are committing crimes in our communities, we will find you, and we will seek to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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.
Irish Times
27-06-2025
- Irish Times
Man (70) caught after sexualised conversations online with people he believed were children, court hears
A 70-year-old man was caught in a sting operation after he had sexualised conversations with parties he believed were 11 and 12-year-old girls, a court has heard. Patrick (Pat) Linehan, previously of Comeragh Park, the Glen, Cork last month pleaded guilty to using technology to interact with children for the purpose of sexual exploitation. He also admitted to arranging to meet a child for the purpose of sexual assault. Dt Gda Brendan Murray told Cork Circuit Criminal Court that on July 8th, 2023 gardaí were made aware of an incident at Comeragh Park on Cork City's northside. 'On attending this address, they met with the accused, who was in the company of a number of people who purported to be members of an organisation called Child Online Protection Enforcers. READ MORE 'A member of this group handed gardaí two USB storage devices which, he stated, contained sexualised conversations between the accused and two female children aged 11 and 12 years.' Det Gda Murray was informed that these girls did not exist. He stated their profiles were generated and controlled by adults posing as children. He told Judge Helen Boyle that when Mr Linehan was interviewed he admitted he had been in contact with two girls. He said Mr Linehan acknowledged he was aware of the girls' ages. 'In the initial conversations with each of the profiles, Pat Linehan is informed he is communicating with children, and their ages are discussed on a number of occasions throughout the message threads. 'Pat Linehan initially states to both children he is 13 years old, but later, after sending selfie type photos of himself, is challenged and admits he is older, stating he was 62. (He was 68 at the time).' Dt Gda Murray gave evidence to the effect that Mr Linehan sexualised the conversations very early on in the communications with both profiles and described in graphic detail sexual acts he would like to perform on the young girls. 'He asks if they would perform sexual acts on him, to which they reply, questioning if they're allowed to do that, given their ages, Pat Linehan suggests nobody would know, that it would be a secret. He sent images of his penis to both girls, and he sent videos of a sexual nature to the profile of the 11-year-old. 'The message thread to both girls began on June 19th, 2023 and continued for a number of weeks, concluding on July 8th, 2023.' Defence counsel Ronan Barnes, BL, indicated his client worked for Cork County Council for over 30 years. He said he had 'an exemplary work record.' Sentencing will be finalised on July 1st.
Fox News
21-06-2025
- Fox News
Parents warned about red flags as violent 764 predators go after kids: FBI expert
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). After the FBI launched an investigation into a sophisticated criminal network targeting kids and teens online known as "764," a former FBI agent is providing parents with practical tips to keep their children safe. Dr. Stephen Boyce, CEO and president of the Cyber Doctor and former forensic analyst with the FBI, explained to Fox News Digital that the group originated around 2021 and has grown into a global threat. "The 764 Group is a decentralized network of neo-Nazi, satanic ideology and is tied to a group called the Order of Nine Angels," said Boyce. What sets this group apart is its fragmented yet coordinated structure, with members spreading their influence across popular social media and gaming platforms. Initially traced back to a U.S.-based founder who was later sentenced to 80 years in prison, the group has since expanded its reach. The FBI recently shared that it is investigating at least 250 incidents tied to the group. "The FBI is investigating at least 250 subjects who are tied to violent online networks commonly referred to as '764' but includes many offshoot networks and names," the FBI told Fox News in a statement on Tuesday evening. "All 55 FBI field offices across the country are involved in these investigations." The predators are known for targeting minors on social media and using coercion to get them to film themselves committing violent or sexual acts, and then using those videos to extort minors for increasing violent or sexual videos that are then shared with "764" followers online. Boyce warned that "the common one that certainly hits all the headlines is Roblox as well as Discord", noting that while these platforms are not inherently malicious, their communication features have been exploited by predators. Mainstream apps that many young adults use, like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and X, are not immune to misuse, he said. "I think anything where you have the ability to communicate with someone else warrants parents being aware of who their kids are interacting with," he said. Boyce said an equally concerning factor is the group's use of psychological tactics to entrap victims. "One of the most common tactics is love bombing and getting into these fake online relationships," said Boyce. The manipulation can lead to minors sending compromising content or performing disturbing acts. "There is quite a bit of that sextortion, as well as various different things and the use of encoded language," Boyce explained, pointing to the use of communicating through memes and coded language. The group's endgame can be especially tragic. In some cases, the 764 network pushes its victims toward livestreamed self-harm and even suicide. "They do promote self-harm," he said. "Children have been asked to self-harm and write their name in their own blood." These acts are often used as rites of passage within the group, further binding victims into its toxic culture, he explained. Yaron Litwin, the CMO at Canopy Parental Control App, told Fox News Digital that limiting screen time "isn't enough." "It isn't enough to put screen time limits in place. It isn't enough to install parental controls. Moms and dads need to be proactive and maintain an open line of dialogue with their kids on online safety topics, and should do their best to enact and enforce household rules, which will at least somewhat neutralize real threats like 764," he said. Knowing what apps children are using, who they are communicating with, and monitoring any shifts in behavior can be lifesaving. Parents should keep an eye out for secrecy around online activities, sudden romantic entanglements, unusual meme usage, animal cruelty and any signs of self-harm. "For instance, newfound displays of irritability, growing secrecy about their device use and suddenly appearing to be socially withdrawn can all be signs of growing exposure to 764 or other dangerous or harmful online groups," he said. "A sudden loss of interest in their offline lives and constantly seeking privacy can also be suspicious signs. "If your kid is experiencing signs like these, react with caution and care — not panic."
News.com.au
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Modern Family star Ariel Winter poses as 12-year-old girl to catch a predator
Modern Family star Ariel Winter opened up about her harrowing experience posing as a pre-teen girl to help catch a child sexual predator. The 27-year-old actress, who played Alex Dunphy on the hit sitcom 'Modern Family' from 2009 to 2020, joined forces with the non-profit Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) for an undercover sting operation that was featured in the true crime docuseries 'SOSA Undercover'. In the premiere episode, Winter pretended to be a 12-year-old girl to entice a 31-year-old predator in Oklahoma City. During an interview with the Daily Mail published Friday, Winter explained how she felt about serving as a decoy in the operation. 'It's definitely cathartic to be teaming with SOSA, knowing that I can make a difference,' Winter said. 'It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and talking to older men, but it's validating to put away predators that have been harming children,' she continued. 'Growing up in the entertainment industry, I've been the girl we are trying to save,' Winter added. 'It's vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life.' Winter donned a blonde wig with bangs to play the part of the fake 12-year-old. In one scene, Winter was seen sitting on a bed in a room that was staged to look like a child's bedroom. The actress adopted a childlike voice as she FaceTimed the predator, whom she referred to as 'Daddy.' While speaking with the Daily Mail, Winter described how she worked with SOSA to identify online child sexual predators. 'Finding someone is hard, because they don't use their real name or handle, and we have to do research into who these people are,' she said. 'You see a lot of dark things when you start investigating who is after pre-teen girls. 'I was surprised by the volume how many men were out there looking to talk to young girls who were 12 or 13. It's hundreds of thousands of men,' Winter continued. 'These men also look like normal, nice guys — they don't look like predators,' she added. 'They look like the guy next-door, and they're usually married and have children. The men seem nice because they have pets, and they show you pictures of their dogs. They talk about their everyday life, and they seem like sweet men. But the truth is they want to spend time with a 12-year-old girl, they ask inappropriate questions and want to know if parents are around.' 'One guy was almost 40-years-old, and he wanted to take an 11-year-old girl shopping for a new bra. That's not normal. It's not good.' The actress told the outlet that seeing adult men who were seeking out girls ranging from 12 to 14-years-old was 'wild.' 'This whole experience has been heartbreaking, because I think of how young these girls are and they're being approached by much older men,' she said. 'I am familiar with male predators, because I worked in Hollywood at a young age, I started at age four,' added Winter, who made her TV debut in a 2002 Cool Whip commercial. 'I don't wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it causes trauma,' she continued. 'The experiences I had in person and online as a child have affected me so deeply that I've had to go to therapy for it,' Winter explained. 'The movie and TV industry is a dark place.' Winter noted how easy it can be for vulnerable children to become prey for adult perpetrators. 'Kids look for online relationships because they're lonely or bored, and then they find a male and think that they can connect to them, not realising they are so much older and are actually predators with bad intentions,' she said. The TV star told the outlet that she planned to continue volunteering for SOSA. 'I like working with SOSA because it's women helping women, and I'll do it as long as I can,' Winter said. In February, SOSA shared a clip from the premiere episode on Instagram ahead of its release on March 20. At the time, Winter commented on the video as she candidly reflected on her real-life experiences with child sexual abuse. 'I was a victim of grooming online and IRL, and CSA,' Winter wrote. 'The effects are lifelong and inescapable. This has ALWAYS been a problem, but in the digital age it is only escalating to more extreme levels and in more manipulative ways.'
