Idaho parents should be alarmed that predators and scammers are targeting their children in hopes of involving them in Sextortion. Law Enforcement and community groups have been sounding the alarm concerning preteens and teens being forced into human trafficking. 

The FBI has now issued a report warning Idahoans and Americans that they've seen a massive increase in children being scammed into sending nude or semi-nude photos of themselves to strangers. The FBI calls in Sextortion.

YouTube / AMAZ Org
YouTube / AMAZ Org
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According to the FBI, criminals will reach out to victims through an app or any online platform, claiming to have compromising images of that person. They threaten to send the photos out if the victims do not send them explicit photos. 

The second sextortion technique involves young people believing they're talking to a peer. However, it is not a peer but a predator who demands more photos, once again threatening to release the compromising photos. 

YouTube / AMAZ Org
YouTube / AMAZ Org
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Financial Sextortion occurs when the predator demands money to prevent the release of photos to the public. The FBI says the monetary demands are not exact, and the criminals usually release the images regardless of how they get paid.

How serious is Sextortion, and what is its impact on young people? They say the increase in predatory online actions against young people has increased the number of suicides. 

What can you do? Here is some relevant information from the FBI.

If young people are being exploited, they are the victim of a crime and should report it. Contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI also has staff dedicated to assisting victims of crime. Learn more about our Victim Services Division and know your rights if you are the victim of Sextortion and your images have been posted online. 

Click the link here to find a further guide on how to help protect our young people and how to prevent your child from becoming a victim of Sextortion.

FBI Seeking Individuals Who May Have Information Regarding the Identity of a Child Sexual Assault Victims

Since 2004, the through  FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) initiatives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has collaborated with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in obtaining images of unknown adults who are wanted for questioning in child pornography cases. To date, 31 adults have been identified which led to the identification of 51 child victims. Here is a list of adults who are wanted in questioning with ongoing child sexual abuse cases.

If you have any information regarding the identity of John Doe 45 or the room where the video took place, please submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov/, or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).  

We'd also like to remind you that no charges have been filed in this case and the pictured individual is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.


Gallery Credit: Ashley Sollars

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By The Numbers: The Most Violent Cities in Idaho Based on FBI Statistics

24 of Idaho’s largest cities with a population of 5,000 or more submitted figures to the FBI for their Crime in the United States report in 2021 and this is how they ranked when you look at the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Note: Caldwell, Mountain Home, Kuna, Hayden, Post Falls, Burley, Preston, Eagle and Star did NOT submit a breakdown of their violent crime rates.

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

 

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