EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Protecting your children from outside threats used to be as simple as making sure the doors and windows to your home were locked.
But with most children as young as 8 having access to smartphones and computers with the internet, things are more complicated.
“Any child with technology, with internet access, can become a victim,” says FBI Special Agent Alex Bustillos, an internet crimes expert warning parents about a new, deception targeting children on gaming platforms and messaging apps.
It begins with an adult pretending to be the same age and sharing the same interests as the child. It evolves into a friendship and possibly a romantic interest. It escalates to online exchanges of intimate images that the child soon regrets, as the “friend” demands more photos and videos or money under the threat of making them public.
Bustillos says the emotional damage that minors suffer from “sextortion” is bad enough. But online predators are now upping the ante by demanding that young child or teenager to carve symbols and words into his or her skin for others to watch.
“Violent online groups are deliberately targeting minor victims on publicly available messaging platforms,” the FBI agent says. “These groups use threats, blackmail and manipulation to control the victims into recording or livestreaming self-harm. Before, (sextortion) was mostly financial: ‘Give me money for something.’ Now it’s for fame. The perpetrators want fame.”
Bustillos said the footage of such mutilation – which can include symbols, words or drawings associated with the occult or satanism – is circulated among private online groups. The perpetrators also can attempt to sell it on the dark web.
“A group that is targeted is minors between the ages of 8 to 17 years old, especially the LGBTQI+ community, racial minorities and those who struggle with a variety of mental health issues,” the agent said. “They are going to target individuals because if they’re having mental health issues, they are seen as easier victims whom they can control.”
The predators particularly target those online friends who confess to them being depressed or having suicidal thoughts.
Other than money and fame, these child predators want self-gratification and the feeling of power over other human beings they could ultimately push to commit radical acts including mass shootings, or commit suicide, Bustillos said.
“We received within the last month several victims in our area of responsibility. So, there are victims here in El Paso that we are addressing immediately,” he said. “This is an underreported situation because parents just don’t know what they are dealing with. How many parents are tech-savvy the way their children are tech-savvy?”
The FBI says it receives between 400 to 600 reports of “sextortion” a year in the El Paso Field Office that runs from the Mexican border to Midland. The agency declined to say how many “self-harm” or mutilation cases it is investigating locally.
It does want parents to be aware of this new disturbing trend, to report it and, if possible, to prevent it. The latter starts with always being aware of what your child is looking at or doing online, warning them against manipulation by apparent peers, and immediately reporting harmful manipulation attempts to the authorities.
“What do I do if my child is being exploited?” Bustillos said. “If I’m a parent or caregiver? Block the predator’s account. Block the predator from contacting the victim. Save the messages without transferring child abuse material to another account and obviously, ask for help.”
The FBI on Thursday released a graphic with telephone numbers and online addresses to report abuse.
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