RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In the digital age we live in, where connecting with a long-distance loved one is just one button away, it’s important to remember that connecting with a stranger is just as easy.
The FBI Richmond Field Office is warning of a rise in “financial sextortion” cases targeting minors. According to the office, these crimes have been linked to an “alarming number of suicides” – particularly among teenage boys.
That’s part of why local officials and community advocates want to raise awareness about how serious these crimes are and how quickly they can escalate. Even more so, they want parents to know how to prevent a child from falling victim.
David Crisafi is the executive director of L.A.U.N.C.H. for Life, a non-profit which seeks to empower young men across the Richmond area. He explained why young people need to be aware of crimes like financial sextortion and why there needs to be an open dialogue. He said it’s vital that kids feel comfortable disclosing suspicious activity.
“This does happen,” Crisafi said. “And if it happens to [teenage boys], they are not alone.”
Financial sextortion crimes begin when an unknown online account – which will often appear to have been newly created and will typically use a young woman as a profile picture – builds a cyber-relationship with anyone willing to engage.
The cyber-criminal will eventually coerce the victim into sending explicit images, then will use those images as blackmail to extort money from the victim for a profit. This form of predator most commonly targets teenage boys.
Crisafi said his team’s mission is to “empower and enable young men in need of positive male role models to launch into adulthood with resilience, compassion and self-worth.” He shared how those life-lessons can set a young man up for success, even when faced with such challenges as targeted cyber crimes.
“If you build their resilience and you get them to understand compassion, not only for others, but for themselves, then you create an environment where they can empower themselves to have self-worth,” Crisafi said.
Crisafi said he and his team have helped victims of financial sextortion in the past.
“A young man went to both myself as a mentor and their parent and discussed what had happened to them and the threats that they were getting,” Crisafi said. “We walked them through what needed to be done.”
Parents should lookout for indicative behavioral dispositions, like changes in their child’s demeanor or increased secrecy around technology. Crisafi shared words of advice to those who’ve been targeted and may feel hopeless.
“You are not defined by the decisions you make, but by what you repeat,” Crisafi said. “It is okay to make a mistake, but it is important that you bring that mistake to an adult and walk through it, because there’s no big enough mistake that you can’t get through.”
If you suspect your child could be a victim, save any evidence, block and report the account immediately and contact local police. More information about these types of crimes and FBI Richmond’s warning can be found here and more information about “L.A.U.N.C.H for Life” can be found here.
