You open your inbox and see a message that makes your heart stop. The email claims someone has compromising video of you and demands thousands of dollars in Bitcoin. Your old password is right there in the subject line. Panic sets in. But before you respond or send payment, you need to know the truth: according to the FBI, this is almost certainly a sextortion scam—and the criminals behind it have no actual evidence. Understanding how these sextortion scams work is the first step to protecting yourself and, more importantly, understanding how these same tactics are being weaponized against children in far more dangerous ways.
A sextortion email is a type of extortion attempt where criminals send threatening messages claiming they have compromising footage or images of the recipient. According to University of Michigan’s Safe Computing resources, these scams typically claim that malware was installed on adult websites and recorded the user through their webcam. The email threatens to send this material to all the victim’s contacts unless they pay, usually demanding around $2,000 in Bitcoin.
What makes these messages so frightening is the inclusion of personal information. The email might include your name, address, phone number, or even an old password. Takoma Park Police Department explains that this information comes from previous known data breaches where user databases containing email addresses and passwords were indexed online. Criminals purchase or download these lists and use them to make their threats appear legitimate. The reality? They have no actual video, no access to your devices, and no real evidence—just stolen data and psychological manipulation.
While adult sextortion email threats are typically empty bluffs, the tactics mirror a far more sinister crime: sextortion targeting children and teens. The FBI reports a massive increase in cases where young people are threatened and coerced into sending explicit images online. Unlike the adult email scams, these predators DO have real images—and they use the same weapons of fear, shame, and threatened exposure to maintain control over their victims.
Both types of sextortion exploit the same psychological vulnerabilities: embarrassment, fear of exposure, and the belief that compliance will make the problem go away. Understanding how adult scams work helps us recognize the broader ecosystem of sextortion and why protecting children from these threats requires immediate action. When adults receive these email threats, they can recognize them as scams. When children receive similar threats—but with real evidence—they often suffer in silence, believing they have no way out.
University of Michigan identifies several common characteristics of sextortion email threats that every internet user should recognize:
These email threats may also include a unique pixel or tracking code to confirm when you open the message, allowing scammers to know their email reached an active account. Takoma Park Police emphasizes that victims should never click links or open attachments in these messages, as doing so could actually install malware on their devices.
The power of sextortion scams lies not in their technical sophistication but in their psychological manipulation. Criminals understand that shame and fear override rational thinking. When someone sees their password in an email subject line, they immediately assume the threat is real—even though that password likely came from a years-old data breach that’s publicly available on the dark web.
According to the FBI, this same psychology is weaponized against children with devastating effectiveness. Young people caught in sextortion situations experience overwhelming shame, embarrassment, and isolation. They believe they’ve done something wrong and fear punishment from parents or law enforcement. This fear keeps them trapped in cycles of victimization, producing more and more content for their abusers. The difference is that while adults can verify their email threat is fake, children are dealing with real predators who have real evidence and real intent to harm.
The FBI’s guidance for adult sextortion email scams is clear and unequivocal:
Takoma Park Police adds that victims should also run a security scan on their devices and enable two-factor authentication on important accounts. A simple Google search of the email address or specific wording from the threat often reveals that thousands of others have received identical messages—proof that it’s a mass scam, not a targeted attack.
While adult email scams are frightening but ultimately harmless, the sextortion crisis affecting children is devastatingly real. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported over 456,000 reports of online enticement by October 2024—a 300% increase from just a few years earlier. Unlike the empty threats in email scams, these predators have actual images and video of their victims and use them to demand more content, money, or sexual favors.
The FBI has seen cases involving victims as young as 8 years old. These crimes start on any site, app, messaging platform, or game where young people meet and communicate. Predators create fake profiles on social networks, pretend to be peers or romantic interests, and manipulate children into sharing explicit images. Once they have that first image, they threaten exposure to the victim’s family, friends, and school unless more content is produced. The cycle continues because children are terrified—afraid of the repercussions threatened by the criminal and afraid they’ll be in trouble with their parents or law enforcement.
The FBI also reports an alarming increase in financial sextortion cases targeting minor victims. In these situations, offenders receive sexually explicit material from a child and then threaten to release it unless the victim sends money or gift cards. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 79% of predators now seek money rather than additional images, and teenage boys aged 14-17 have become primary targets.
These financial sextortion scams often begin on gaming platforms or social networks where predators pose as young girls, feign romantic interest, and request explicit photos. Once they have compromising material, they demand payment—and often release the images regardless of whether the victim complies. This increasing threat has resulted in an alarming number of deaths by suicide among young victims who see no way out of their situation.
The FBI emphasizes that awareness and open communication are the best defenses against sextortion. Young people need to understand that people can pretend to be anyone online, that nothing truly “disappears” from the internet, and that they should never send explicit images to anyone—even someone they believe they know and trust.
Parents should have ongoing conversations about online safety, monitor their children’s internet use, and review privacy settings on social networks. Most importantly, children need to know they can come to trusted adults for help without fear of punishment. The FBI makes clear that young people who are victimized are NOT in trouble—they are victims of a crime. Sextortion is illegal because it is wrong for an adult to ask for, pay for, or demand graphic images from a minor, regardless of how the situation started.
Understanding sextortion email scams helps us recognize the broader ecosystem of online exploitation—and why organizations like the International Protection Alliance (IPA) are critical in the fight to protect children. While adult email threats are typically empty, the sextortion targeting children is devastatingly real and requires sophisticated investigation and intervention.
IPA takes a comprehensive approach that goes beyond what most organizations offer. Rather than simply supporting existing cases, IPA creates cases and continues investigating to dismantle entire networks of abuse. Their four-pillar strategy addresses sextortion from every angle:
IPA’s work includes providing digital forensics training and technology to law enforcement agencies, enabling them to track predators across platforms and jurisdictions. Recent operations in Thailand and other countries have resulted in arrests and the rescue of child victims—demonstrating that with the right resources and expertise, these criminals can be stopped.
While the sextortion email in your inbox is likely a harmless scam, it represents a gateway to understanding a much larger crisis. The same tactics of fear, shame, and threatened exposure are being used against children every day—but with real consequences. Every email scam you recognize and report helps law enforcement understand the broader patterns of online exploitation. Every conversation you have with young people about these threats potentially saves a child from victimization.
The criminals behind adult email scams and those targeting children often operate in overlapping networks. They share email addresses, tactics, and technologies. By supporting organizations that fight all forms of sextortion, we create a safer digital environment for everyone—but especially for the most vulnerable among us: our children.
If you receive a sextortion email, you can delete it and move on with confidence. But children facing real sextortion don’t have that luxury. They need advocates, investigators, and support systems that understand the complexity of these crimes and are equipped to intervene effectively.
The International Protection Alliance is on the front lines of this fight, but they need resources to continue their critical work. Every donation funds digital forensics investigations that lead to arrests, provides aftercare for survivors who have nowhere else to turn, and trains law enforcement agencies around the world to identify and apprehend predators before they can harm more children.
Don’t let another child suffer in silence while predators operate with impunity. Visit ProtectAll.org to learn more about IPA’s comprehensive approach to ending online exploitation and make a donation today. Together, we can dismantle the networks that threaten our children and create a digital world where young people can connect, learn, and grow without fear.
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