Sextortion Alert: We Are Seeing A Changing Strategy

Over the past few days, we have supported three Canadian families whose teen boys were targeted in sextortion incidents. In each case, the pattern was strikingly similar.

Initial contact happened publicly through comments on TikTok. From there, the teens were encouraged to move the conversation to Telegram, an encrypted communication platform. This step, often called “off-platforming”, is deliberate. Once conversations move away from a mainstream platform, safeguards drop, reporting becomes harder, and pressure escalates. It was in that private space that intimate images were shared and the extortion began.

This matters because sextortion is not static. Those who commit these crimes constantly adapt. When platforms introduce friction, moderation tools, or age-based restrictions, offenders shift tactics.

Not long ago, we saw first contact happening primarily on Instagram, followed by a move to Snapchat or WhatsApp, and that pathway still exists. What we are now seeing, anecdotally but consistently, is a growing move toward comment-based contact on highly visible platforms, followed by off-platform migration to encrypted messaging app like Telegram.

It is reasonable to suspect that emerging age-gating measures and increased scrutiny on some platforms are influencing this shift. When one door becomes harder to use, offenders look for another.

The goal here is not fear, it’s awareness. Understanding how these situations unfold gives families a better chance to ed.

Share with your child that if they receive a request to move a conversation off a platform, share images, or keep interactions secret, that is the moment to pause before hitting the send button. Early conversations and informed responses remain one of the strongest protective factors we have to protect our kids from sextortion.

Digital Food For Thought

The White Hatter

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