Sextortion

Sextortion used to depend on tricking someone into sending an intimate image, often by posing as a flirtatious teenager online. The blackmail followed fast: pay, or the picture goes to your family, friends and school.

AI has removed the first step. The FBI warned that criminals take ordinary photos and videos from social media and turn them into explicit fakes, then use them to harass or extort, and that many victims, including children, only found out when someone else saw them.

The pressure is designed to feel unbearable, especially for young people. The most useful thing to know in advance is that there's a way out: tell an adult or someone you trust, stop replying, report it, and use the removal routes that now exist by law.