Hawkesbury parents and young people are being urged to remain vigilant as Australia's online safety watchdog warns that organised criminal networks are increasingly targeting teenage boys and young men in sophisticated sextortion scams.
The warning follows the release of the eSafety Commission's latest Transparency Report, which found that financial sexual extortion has become one of the fastest-growing forms of online abuse affecting young Australian males.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said organised criminal groups are using increasingly sophisticated technology, including artificial intelligence, to create convincing fake online identities designed to lure victims into sharing intimate images.
"Sexual extortion has reached catastrophic proportions," Ms Inman Grant said.
According to the report, the eSafety Commission received 2,206 reports of sexual extortion between July and December 2025. Around 85 per cent of victims were male, with most aged between 18 and 39 years.
However, the Commissioner said younger teenagers are also increasingly becoming victims.
"We're also seeing much younger kids coming to us 15, 16 and 17-year-olds," she said.
How the scam works
The scams often begin on popular social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok or dating apps.
A victim receives a message from what appears to be an attractive young woman who quickly encourages flirtatious conversation before asking to exchange intimate photographs or videos.
Once an image has been shared, the conversation changes dramatically.
The offender threatens to send the images to the victim's friends, family, school or workplace unless money is paid immediately.
One case highlighted in the report involved a 16-year-old boy who was contacted on Instagram by someone identifying herself as "Jessica".
After sending a nude photograph, he immediately received the message:
"Hey bro. Pay me. Fast payment."
The teenager was ordered to steal an Apple gift card from his family or risk having the image distributed to everyone he knew.
AI making scams more convincing
Ms Inman Grant said organised criminal groups are increasingly using artificial intelligence to make their scams harder to detect.
"They're using generative AI to create very attractive personas, face-swapping technologies and voice cloning," she said. "They've really honed their craft in terms of targeting young men."
Authorities warn that these scams are often run by organised overseas criminal syndicates operating on an industrial scale.
Mental health consequences
The eSafety Commissioner said the emotional impact on victims can be devastating.
"It is a horrendous crime that, in the worst-case scenario, leads to extreme mental distress and sometimes suicide," she said.
The Commission received more than 8,000 reports of image-based abuse during the past year, with around half now involving financial sexual extortion targeting young men.
Research by the Australian Institute of Criminology found one in every ten Australian adolescents surveyed had experienced sexual extortion, with more than half first encountering it before the age of 16.
Social media under fire
The report also questions whether Australia's under-16 social media ban is being properly enforced.
The legislation requires major platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube and WhatsApp to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts.
However, Ms Inman Grant said compliance remains inadequate.
"The social media companies are not complying," she said.
The eSafety Commission estimates there has been only a 37 per cent reduction in underage social media accounts since the laws commenced.
Independent testing of age-verification systems last year found that when users simply entered an age of 16, nine out of ten social media platforms accepted the information without requesting any further proof.
"We're calling them out on their poor practices," Ms Inman Grant said.
Advice for Hawkesbury families
Police and the eSafety Commission encourage parents to have open conversations with teenagers about online relationships and remind them that people they meet online may not be who they claim to be.
Young people are urged never to share intimate images with someone they have only met online, regardless of how genuine the relationship appears.
If someone threatens to distribute intimate images:
- Stop communicating with the offender.
- Do not pay any money.
- Preserve screenshots and evidence.
- Report the account to the social media platform.
- Contact the eSafety Commissioner or NSW Police if threats continue.
Authorities stress that victims should seek support immediately and remember that help is available. Reporting the incident early can improve the chances of having intimate images removed and preventing further harm.
For immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or report image-based abuse through the Australian eSafety Commission.
