Ratauf Draht conducted 327 corresponding counseling sessions last year, the helpline announced in a press release on Wednesday. From 2022 to 2023, there was already a 29 percent increase in the so-called sextortion cases. However, the number of unreported cases is likely much higher. Rat auf Draht warns that many do not confide in anyone out of shame.

According to an analysis by Rat auf Draht, there are still significantly more boys and young men among the victims. About 72 percent of the conversations are with this group. However, the proportion of girls and women has increased significantly compared to 2023. In 2023, the ratio was still 83 percent male to 17 percent female callers.

"Particularly alarming is that the victims are getting younger," said Birgit Satke, head of the counseling team. Rat auf Draht recorded the largest increase, with a 178 percent rise in counseling sessions, in the age group of 11 to 14-year-old girls and boys.

Nude Photos: Extortionists' Tactics Always the Same

The approach of the extortionists remained the same: Through social networks like Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok, but also increasingly through dating platforms or in online games, children and teenagers are approached or messaged by attractive individuals. They flatter their future victims and pretend to have sexual intentions. They send nude photos or videos of themselves and eventually ask the victims to do the same. If the children and teenagers comply, the mood changes abruptly, and they are asked to pay money.

"Otherwise, the perpetrators threaten to post the material on social networks or send it directly to the victims' friends or friend groups. Nowadays, as a sign that the extortionists are serious, a picture or video is often sent in advance to a person or specific group to emphasize the demand," said Satke.

Criminals Increasingly Rely on Artificial Intelligence

What is new, however, is that criminals are increasingly relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI). "This happens in two ways. On one hand, they use AI-generated images or videos to lure young people into a trap. In other words, the person who contacts the victims and is seen does not actually exist. On the other hand, the perpetrators also use AI-generated images that are supposed to show the alleged victim in order to blackmail them," explained Satke. The pressure, shame, and guilt felt by the affected individuals are just as high as with real recordings, the expert shared after evaluating the counseling sessions.

The experts urgently recommend that all affected individuals defend themselves. "Despite shock and despair, it is very important not to comply with the demands and not to pay," said Satke. Paying the demands often does not prevent publication, but is understood as an invitation to try again at a later time. Contact with the perpetrators should be immediately broken off and evidence, such as screenshots of blackmail chats, should be secured. In the case of already published images or videos, reports should be made to the respective platform immediately. Additionally, filing a report with the police is advisable.

Online Tools Against Sextortion

Two online tools can provide relief by preventing further publication of nude images, according to Rat auf Draht. The two websites https://takeitdown.ncmec.org for individuals under 18 years old and https://stopncii.org for adults prevent the upload of intimate images on many platforms. To use them, the images and videos must still be stored on a device. "A digital fingerprint of the photo or video is created on the device and transmitted to the service, which enables online platforms to identify intimate images or videos and prevent publication," explains Satke. The images remain on the user's device and are not uploaded.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.