Sextortion
Technology-assisted sextortion: A growing problem
Technology-assisted sextortion is when someone threatens to expose sexually explicit content (real or fake or AI/technology-generated “deepfake” photos or video) to coerce a person to do something they don’t want to do. Perpetrators use (or create) sexually explicit content to blackmail others to send more images, send payment, take part in in-person sexual acts or to hurt themselves or others. Perpetrators use the threat of exposure, public humiliation and shame to control the victim.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) receives tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the public. In 2025, the BCA received over 21,000 tips related to online sexual exploitation—an 1,845% increase from 2016. According to a 2025 study by Thorn, one in five teens have experienced technology-based sextortion. But people of any age, gender or background can be victimized.
Sextortion types and perpetrator motivations
- Sexually-motivated sextortion: Perpetrators sextort to manipulate the victim into sending more sexual content for the sexual arousal of the perpetrator.
- Financially-motivated sextortion: Perpetrators sextort to get the victim to send the perpetrator money, gift cards or other currency.
- Relational control-motivated sextortion: Perpetrators may be a current or former romantic or sexual partner or family member who uses sexual content to control the victim as a form of relationship abuse or domestic violence.
- Clout or status-motivated sextortion: Perpetrators sextort to gain “status” or “clout” for successfully getting content from victims—this could be to improve standing of the perpetrator within an informal social group or within an organized cybercriminal network.
- Sadistically-motivated sextortion: Perpetrators sextort to intentionally cause harm, pain, humiliation, trauma, violence, and suicide or death to other people, animals, or to the victims themselves.
Like other abusers, sextortion perpetrators groom victims by first building connection and trust. Then they isolate, manipulate, harass, humiliate and control.
Many perpetrators are known to their victim—a current or former romantic or dating partner, family member, peer or person in a position of authority. Others are international cybercriminals who pose as a romantic interest or supportive friend.
Sextortion is a crime that causes exponential harm because the abuse is recorded, shared, uploaded or posted. This form of abuse has many layers of violation: it is often public, searchable, easily replicated, evades detection, and can cause complex, infinite trauma. Victims often feel powerless, a loss of control, humiliation and blame and endure constant fear of the content being reshared or being recognized from the images.
Sextortion victims: What to do next
Sextortion is both a state and federal crime. If this crime has happened to you, know that sextortion is not your fault, you are not alone and there is help available.
- STOP talking to the perpetrator
- AVOID sending more content or money (complying with the perpetrator’s demands does not stop the abuse)
- SAVE and SCREENSHOT all messages with dates and times (preserve this useful evidence—do not delete)
- GET HELP from a safe person or professional and seek support resources
- REPORT to the account platform, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline, the BCA and your local police department or sheriff’s office.
To report a tip to the BCA, contact the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force at 651-793-7000 or bca.tips@state.mn.us.
Removal of online sexual images
Learn more about removal of online sexual images and other victim resources.
BCA education and resources
The BCA offers free professional training and community education across Minnesota to equip criminal justice and human services professionals, parents, students and the public to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Most-requested education topics:
- Internet and technology safety
- Sextortion, sexting and private content violations
- Sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking
- Technology-facilitated abuse
- Grooming
- Violence and abuse prevention
- Impact and harm of hypersexualized media and pornography
- Emerging issues in ICAC and impact of AI
- ICAC investigations (training for law enforcement provided by predatory crimes agents)
To request a free presentation, BCA sextortion awareness posters or other internet safety resources, contact the BCA and ask for the ICAC Task Force educator at 651-793-7000.
Relevant statutes
- Minnesota Statute § 325E.91: Prohibition on nudification technology
- Minn. Stat. § 609.322: Solicitation, inducement and promotion of prostitution; sex trafficking
- Minn. Stat. § 609.3458: Sexual extortion
- Minn. Stat. § 609.352: Solicitation of children to engage in sexual conduct; communication of sexually explicit materials to children
- Minn. Stat. § 609.746: Interference with privacy
- Minn. Stat. § 609.749: Harassment, stalking, penalties
- Minn. Stat. § 617.246: Use of minors in sexual performance prohibited
- Minn. Stat. § 617.247: Possession of child sexual abuse material
- Minn. Stat. § 617.261: Nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images
- Minn. Stat. § 617.262: Nonconsensual dissemination of a deep fake depicting intimate parts or sexual acts