SEXTING AND SEXTORTION: KEEPING KIDS SAFE

Transcription

1 Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention SEXTING AND SEXTORTION: KEEPING KIDS SAFE November 20, :00-3:00 p.m. ET

2 Moderator Sarah Sisaye, MPH Management and Program Analyst Office of Safe and Healthy Students Office of Elementary and Secondary Education US Department of Education

3 Webinar Learning Objectives During the course of this webinar participants will: Gain a clear understanding of what sexting and sextortion is and learn the dangers involved Learn about the laws related to sexting and sextortion Acquire tools on how to help youth identify and avoid online predators and how to set boundaries with peers who are pressuring them to sext

4 Presenter Lt. Eric Buehler Commander, ICAC Task Force Sacramento County Sheriff s Department

5 SEXTING Changing an Emerging Culture to Protect Our Children

6 What is Sexting? Webster's defines sexting as: sex ting noun \ˈsek-stiŋ\ the sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone

7 A Growing Culture Becoming the norm in teen culture Recent study published by Pediatrics concluded it has grown substantially in the last three years Considered among the youth today as the new first base

8 The Facts A 2012 study published by Pediatrics concludes that: The mean average age of the group studied was years 27.6% have sent a sext 31.4% have asked for a sext 60.0% have been asked

9 Child Pornography Online 10% 24% 7% 3% 17% 3% 3% 14% 16% 3% Parent Other relative Neighbor/family friend Baby sitter/coach Guardian's partner Online enticement Unknown to child Self-produced Boyfriend Human tafficker Abuser data based upon victim information submitted to NCMEC by law enforcement as of Feb. 18, 2013

10 Damage Shared with others Posted to Social Media Shaming / Cyber bullying Isolation Anxiety Depression

11 Laws Self produced nude images of underage subjects are in fact Child Pornography (CP) Production of CP is a felony even when self produced Possession and/or distribution of a CP image is a felony even if the possessor is underage Different jurisdictions handle the cases in varying ways

12 Changing the Culture Parents Talk to your kids Teachers and Counselors Talk to your students Report and deal with suspected sharing of images immediately! Look to resources to help you raise awareness

13 Resources ICAC Task Force ( National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) ( Send This Instead app and webpage Netsmartz.org

14 Send this instead Videos

15 Additional Help

16 Upcoming Webinar Send this Instead Thursday, December 11, :00 3:15pm ET Presenter: Joe Versace Registration URL:

17 Thank You Lieutenant Eric Buehler

18 Presenter Supervisory Special Agent Jacob E. Baillie FBI s Violent Crimes Against Children Program Management Unit

19 Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Investigative Division Supervisory Special Agent Jacob E. Baillie

20 Unclassified//For Official Use Only What is Sextortion? Sextortion is a criminal act when someone demands something of value, typically images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money from a person (victim) by: Threatening to release or distribute material that the victim seeks to keep private (sexually explicit images, videos, , text messages) Threatening to financially harm friends or relatives of the victim using information they obtained from the victim s computer Withholding something the victim needs or wants unless they comply with the demands (someone in a position of power) Unclassified//For Official Use Only

21 How does Sextortion Happen? Sextortion can be perpetrated in many ways by those seeking to exploit vulnerable individuals sexually or for financial gain. It typically begins by obtaining sensitive material pertaining to their victims. Hacking or the use of malware to assume control of a victim s computer (may allow access to files, webcam, microphone) Theft of personal electronic devices that contain sensitive material Social engineering: leads the victim to believe the perpetrator can be trusted (boyfriend, girlfriend, modeling agency) resulting in the release of sensitive material to the perpetrator Identity theft Unclassified//For Official Use Only

22 Unclassified//For Official Use Only Relationship to Sexting & Bullying Sexting is the sending of sexually explicit images from one person to another using a mobile device such as a cell phone. Sexting is one way images come into the possession of one who would use them for sextortion. When sexually explicit images of a student are distributed to others, those images often become the basis of intense bullying in a school environment. Unclassified//For Official Use Only

23 Unclassified//For Official Use Only Examples of Sextortion In 2013, Christopher Patrick Gunn, 31, of Montgomery, AL was sentenced to 35 years in prison for producing child pornography through a massive online sextortion scheme. Over a period of more than two years, Gunn repeatedly used computers, chat rooms, and other social medial outlets to threaten HUNDREDS of young girls located throughout the United States and internationally. Unclassified//For Official Use Only

24 Examples of Sextortion In 2008, Jonathan Vance, 24, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison. Vance admitted sending threatening e- mails on Facebook and MySpace in order to extort nude photos from more than 50 teenage girls in 3 states. Vance told the FBI that the intimidation and extortion made him feel empowered. Unclassified//For Official Use Only

25 Unclassified//For Official Use Only Examples of Sextortion In 2010, Anthony Stancl, 19, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Stancl posed as a two girls on Facebook to trick and deceive at least 31 of his male high school classmates into sending him nude cell phone photos and videos of themselves. Stancl then used those photos to extort at least 7 of his male high school classmates for sex. Unclassified//For Official Use Only

26 Unclassified//For Official Use Only Examples of Sextortion In November 2014, Lucas Michael Chansler, 31, of St Johns County, FL was sentenced to 105 years in prison for engaging in an extortion scheme to produce child pornography. Targeted 350 child victims in 26 different states throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom Approximately 106 child victims have been identified thus far Unclassified//For Official Use Only

27 Unclassified//For Official Use Only The Extent of the Problem Google Trends shows that searches on the term sextortion first appeared in 2010 with the prosecution of several cases. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received its first report related to extortion in October In the subsequent eight months, NCMEC received 181 reports that could be classified as sextortion. There is consistently an international nexus to sextortion cases The FBI s Violent Crimes Against Children International Task Force consists of law enforcement officers from approximately 40 countries. Unclassified//For Official Use Only

28 Unclassified//For Official Use Only Who is at Risk? Sextortion affects both girls and boys across all demographics. Victims of extortion/sextortion withdraw from members of their family and can experience: Anxiety Psychological, physical, and emotional trauma Bullying Increased risk for suicide Increased rates of dropping out of school Unclassified//For Official Use Only

29 Unclassified//For Official Use Only Protection Against Sextortion For Parents & Educators: Supervise children s computer or mobile device use Keep computers and tablets in common rooms Devices like smartphones are trickier, as kids carry these with them wherever they go Disabling the camera within the phone s operating system Use parental control software Talk with your kids Keep an open line of communication with your kids Children should know they can come to you without fear of reprisal Express genuine interest in their online activities Remember, those exploited through these crimes are victims, no matter what they did or how they responded to the threat Unclassified//For Official Use Only

30 Protection Against Sextortion Layer security Use strong passwords Verify sender before opening unexpected attachments Update software promptly Use a firewall, anti-malware software, and possibly encryption Do not assume technology alone will protect you Report sextortion to the FBI It s still important to report all instances of sextortion to law enforcement In some cases the perpetrator may be a teenager, however, its not uncommon that the perpetrator is an adult masquerading as a teenager Law enforcement can help make a determination who the perpetrator is as well as take steps to help minimize further distribution of sensitive material A parent s report may result in the rescue of dozens or even hundreds of other children Unclassified//For Official Use Only

31 Unclassified//For Official Use Only Reporting Sextortion To report suspected sextortion crimes or to get help from law enforcement, please call your local FBI office or toll-free at: CALL-FBI ( ) Unclassified//For Official Use Only