Young males have become a top target for online sexual extortion, new study finds

Sexual extortion scammers are preying on young men and convincing them to send intimate images which are then used as tools for blackmail.

Young men are more likely to be both the perpetrators and targets of online sexual extortion traps, with experts warning that the issue has become “more widespread” than ever before.

A new study led by RMIT University and Google has found men aged between 18 and 24 were among the top targets for “sextortion” scammers, who convince their victims into sending intimate images which are then used as tools for blackmail.

The study found nearly 1 in 6 Australians have been victims of sextortion.

In addition to making up the majority of perpetrators, lead researcher and RMIT professor Nicola Henry said men were among the most vulnerable to random attacks online.

Experts warn sextortion is becoming more widespread.

“Perpetrators are more likely to be men which is consistent with international research but in terms of who the victims are, we found that men were slightly more likely to report being victims than women,” she said.

“I think definitely young boys and men are being targeted by scammers.

“One possible reason is men might be engaged in those toxic online environments like some online gaming where those threats are being made in that context.

“Or maybe it’s because young boys and men are more likely to share their images if they receive one from a scammer whom they think is a young woman.”

It comes as data from the eSafety commissioner last year found that 90 per cent of sextortion reports in the first half of 2023 came from males aged between 18 and 24.

Ms Henry said advancements in artificial intelligence have also made it “easier” for scammers to trap their victims, using realisitic sexualised imagery known as “deep fake pornography”.

Another common example included people receiving emails from scammers saying they had evidence of their victims watching pornography which would be leaked unless payment was made.

Also featured in the study was the high number of sextortion cases coming out of abusive relationships, involving former or current partners looking to “control” their victims.

Nearly 30 per cent of people surveyed said they were threatened by a former partner, while 17 per cent said was their current partners who had extorted them.

Ms Henry said even if the images are not shared the threat “hanging over the victim” was “very harmful”.

“Sextortion is a big problem in domestic and family violence,” Ms Henry said.

“When the relationship breaks down and becomes abusive the perpertrator uses the images as a form of punishment to get back at the person or to control them.”

In Victoria sextortion perpetrators can face up to three years in jail.