Cambridgeshire sextortion victims as young as 10 figures show

A form of blackmail involving threats that intimate pictures will be shared, more than 2,000 incidents of sextortion were reported in the county between 2019-24.

According to figures obtained from Cambridgeshire Police, the vast majority of victims were aged between 19-24, while almost a quarter were aged between just 15-18-years-old. 

It follows an "unprecedented" alert from the National Crime Agency in April urging teachers to warn pupils against the dangers of sextortion after a surge in cases nationally. 

Sent to hundreds of thousands of educational professionals, the warning was issued is to "guide teachers" as they support young people who might be targeted. 

Cyber prevention officer at Cambridgeshire Police, Dave York, said sextortion has gathered pace. (Image: Cambridgeshire Police)

The figures show that cases of sextortion have increased by more than 250 per cent in the last five years, with 173 crimes reported in 2019 compared to 619 in 2023. 

This year, there have already been more than 166 reports of the crime. 

Dave York, a cyber prevention officer at Cambridgeshire Police, told Newsquest that sextortion has "gathered pace" over the years, with the main targets predominantly young men. 

He said: "They are targeted by criminals using dating websites, social media or even sometimes random messages.

"The offenders will target potential victims with photos of attractive people accompanied by messages showing they may be interested in forming some sort of relationship, tempting the victims into engaging in conversation.

"The offenders will use language that encourages the victim to believe that they are really interested in them and quickly the chat turns to swapping photos, videos or even video messaging."

Cambridgeshire Police receives between one and two reports a day, but the number of victims could well be higher. 

Dave added: "That, of course, is only the cases that are reported. Naturally, there’s often a lot of embarrassment linked to being the victim of this type of crime so many cases go unreported."

The impact of sextortion is a concern shared by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a Cambridgeshire-based charity working to stop child sexual abuse online. 

Tamsin McNally, hotline manager at the IWF, said it is incredibly easy for children to fall victim to sextortion scams. (Image: Internet Watch Foundation)

Tamsin McNally, hotline manager at the IWF said the charity has seen a "huge rise" in sextortion cases involving children. 

In 2023, IWF analysts confirmed 176 reports of sexual extortion that contained child sexual abuse material.

This is more than eight times as many as the previous year, when 21 cases of sexual extortion were recorded.

Tamsin said: "Sadly, it's increasingly easy for children to fall victim to these scams and we've seen a huge rise in the number of sextortion-based reports we're receiving. 

"The perpetrators behind the scams are organised crime groups that operate off a business model and their approach is deliberately targeting children.

"It's incredibly cruel the way that offenders are targeting children and the language they use is frankly horrendous.” 

She added: "These scams can be incredibly aggressive and we're seeing children pressured in a way which we've never seen before." 

If you've been affected by the issues discussed in this report, support is available from the following:

• Internet Watch Foundation - Hotline: 01223 20 30 30

• Revenge Porn Helpline - Helpline: 0345 6000 459 (Over 18's)

• Childline - Helpline: 0800 1111 (Under 19's)

• CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) - Helpline: 0800 58 58 58

• Samaritans is an organisation offering confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone 116 123 (a free 24 hour helpline).