493 Cases of Sextortion Against Children Linked to Notorious Scam Compounds

“There are limitations to what we tin spot pinch this data, but what we person truthful acold is accurate,” says Heintz. “If anything, I deliberation it’s undercounting nan standard of nan problem.”

The information nan researchers obtained is only a snapshot of immoderate alleged sextortion activity linked to scam centers. For instance, advertizing manufacture mobile information is incomplete, nan NCMEC information does not incorporate each imaginable reported sextortion cases, and tech companies reporting information to NCMEC apt skew toward American firms.

In its report, nan IJM points to multiple reports of scam centers being linked to wider sextortion against adults. The study does not norm retired that children are being deliberately targeted pinch sextortion crimes but notes that children whitethorn besides get caught successful schemes targeted astatine adults if they are utilizing parents’ aliases different caregivers’ devices. Now that this investigation has demonstrated a link, nan researchers stress that further investigation is needed to fortify authorities’ knowing of nan relationship betwixt kid sextortion and scam compounds and find whether children are being specifically targeted. NCMEC did not instantly respond to WIRED’s petition for comment.

Often tally by Chinese organized crime groups, scam compounds person exploded crossed Southeast Asia since astir 2019. Criminals person trafficked thousands of group from much than 70 countries into nan compounds, wherever they are usually held captive, person their passports taken away, and are forced to scam group online. If they refuse, they tin beryllium beaten and brutalized. Initially targeting Chinese speakers, nan scam centers person deployed so-called “pig butchering” scams, alongside various different forms of finance and romance scams. With immense flows of illicit cash, nan criminals person progressively opened scam compounds successful nan Middle East, West Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe; they person targeted scams against group crossed nan world and altered nan ways they scam people.

“Scam centers and cyber-enabled fraud networks successful Southeast Asia person quickly diversified their business lines and scope of targeting, progressively integrating sextortion arsenic good arsenic malware, deepfakes and pornography into their operations,” says John Wojcik, a elder threat interrogator focusing connected Asia astatine nan cybersecurity patient Infoblox. An October 2024 study into nan maturation of scam compounds from nan United Nations Office connected Drugs and Crime, which was partially authored by Wojcik, who worked astatine nan statement astatine nan time, pointed to nan increase successful sextortion cases against adults and nan usage of AI.

Wojcik says nan IJM investigation is accordant pinch reports from rule enforcement agencies wrong Southeast Asia that location has been a “steady rise” successful financial sextortion cases against children.

Hieu Minh Ngo, a reformed criminal hacker and now cybercrime interrogator astatine nan Vietnamese nonprofit scam-fighting statement Chongluadao, says he has seen sextortion efforts targeting young group and adults successful Vietnam successful nan past fewer years, and these “operations trace backmost to scam compounds” located on nan Vietnam-Cambodia border. “The strategies are consistent: Bad actors airs arsenic charismatic individuals connected societal media, build spot pinch victims, past coerce them into sharing delicate images aliases videos,” Ngo says. The usage of AI deepfakes is besides increasing, he adds. “This inclination shows clear links betwixt location scam compounds and organized sextortion targeting children and susceptible populations.”