Reports of sextortion have dropped for the first time, but still account for more than 90 monthly Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigations.
AFP Commander Human Exploitation Helen Schneider said in the first six months of 2024, the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received 560 reports of sextortion, an average of 93 reports a month, compared to an average of 300 reports a month in 2023.
Commander Schneider said the AFP was releasing the figures in National Child Protection Week to highlight the effectiveness of the combined efforts of law enforcement and the community to raise awareness about sextortion.
“Since 2022, the AFP and AUSTRAC, working with the financial sector, have facilitated the closure of bank accounts that are held in Australia, but are linked to international organised crime syndicates involved in sextortion,” she said.
“More than 1800 Australian bank, financial services and digital currency accounts linked to offshore organised criminals sexually extorting Australian teenagers have been shut down.”
Commander Schneider said police believed a combination of factors had contributed to the decrease in reports.
“Increased public awareness, especially of parents and young people themselves, combined with the AFP’s work with partners like AUSTRAC are likely making it harder for criminals to exploit children online,” Commander Schneider said.
“Our intelligence indicates how effective we have been, with organised criminals regularly complaining to each other online about how difficult it is to extract money from young people in Australia.”
She said sextortion was a form of online blackmail where offenders tricked or coerced someone into sending sexual images of themselves, before threatening to share the images unless their demands were met. These demands could be for money, gift cards or more graphic content.
Commander Schneider said although the reports have dropped, it was still an under-reported crime.
“The sad reality is that we still receiving almost 100 reports of children in Australia being targeted by criminals every month,” she said.
Members of the public who have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation are urged to contact the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.
