Minor‐focused sextortion by adult strangers: A crime script analysis of newspaper and court cases

• Published date: 01 November 2023
• Author: Roberta Liggett O'Malley,Karen Holt,Thomas J. Holt,Joy Rodriguez
• Date: 01 November 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12634

DOI: ./- .

SPECIAL ISSUE ARTICLE

CYBERCRIME AND CYBERSECURITY

Minor-focused sextortion by adult strangers: A

crime script analysis of newspaper and court

cases

Roberta Liggett O’Malley1Karen Holt2Thomas J. Holt2

Joy Rodriguez1

University of South Florida, Sarasota,

Florida, USA

Michigan State University, East Lansing,

Michigan, USA

Correspondence

Roberta Liggett O’Malley,University of

South Florida,  N TamiamiTrail,

Sarasota, FL , USA

Email: omalley@usf.edu

Abstract

Summary: Sextortion is a form of image-based sex-

ual abuse in which an offender threatens to distribute

sexually explicit images, videos, or information to gain

victim compliance. In some sextortion incidents involv-

ing minor children, offenders are adult strangers who

coerce victims into self-producing child sexually abu-

sive materials (CSAM). Despite the growing concern

regarding minor victims of sextortion, there is a lack

of empirical investigation of adult offenders who exclu-

sively target minor children for the production of CSAM

and the steps and decisions these offenders take to

commit sextortion. Utilizing a sample of  minor-

focused sextortion cases gathered from news media and

court documents, the current study employed crime

script analysis and inductive qualitative methodology

to investigate how adult offenders commit sextortion.

The results indicated that adult offenders specifically

targeting minor children move through several crime

scripts: preparation, entry, instrumental actions, crime

commission, and exit.

Policy Implications: Minor-focused sextortion perpe-

trated by adult offenders is executed in stages, each with

accompanying preventive solutions. Investing in educa-

tion that teaches youth to recognize grooming, develops

safety practices online, and removes barriers to reporting

Criminology & Public Policy. ;:–.©  American Society of Criminology.779wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/capp

780 O’MALLEY  .

should be a priority for schools and parents. Increased

adoption of technology and policies that would allow

social media platforms to detect CSAM, remove fraud-

ulent accounts, and streamline reporting would also

disrupt these crimes.

Sextortion, a term that combines “sexual” and “extortion,” is a form of image-based sexual abuse

(IBSA) (McGlynn & Rackley, ) in which an offender threatens to distribute a victim’s sex-

ually explicit images, videos, or information to coerce or gain compliance. Sextortion demands

are variable, but generally include participation in sexually explicit conduct, financial payment,

or submission to an abusive partner (Bates, ;FBI,; O’Malley & Holt, ; Wolak &

Finkelhor, ; Woodlock, ).

Sextortion offenders are a diverse group of individuals using similar methods for different moti-

vations (O’Malley & Holt, ). Forinstance, surveys indicate that many victims of sextortion and

nonconsensual image distribution are targeted by former or current romantic partners within

contexts of intimate partner violence (Eaton, Jacobs, & Ruvalcaba, ; Eaton, Ramjee, & Saun-

ders, ; Wolak & Finkelhor, ; Patchin & Hinduja, ). At the same time, global reports

from law enforcement cyber tip lines and nonprofit organizations show that financial sextortion,

where an offender threatens to distribute a victim’ssexual images unless the victim pays a ransom,

has increased substantially in the last  years and predominantly target adult men and minor boys

(AustralianFederal Police, ;FBI,;Statistics Canada, ;Ward,). In these cases, per-

petrators are often strangers operating overseas within organized cybercrime groups (FBI, ;

O’Malley & Holt, ;Ward,).

While adult victimization is common, sextortion of minor children occurs with some frequency

(Wolak et al., ). A large national survey of minor children conducted from November to

December  found that .% of minors reported being victimized by sextortionand % reported

being a victim of IBSA (Finkelhor, Turner, & Colburn, ). Additional victim surveys indicate

that approximately .% (Gámez-Guadix et al., ) to % of teenagers have been threatenedwith

the public distribution of their images (Patchin & Hinduja, ). In addition, Wolak and Finkel-

hor’s () Internet survey of sextortion victims found that most reported being under the age

of  at the time of their victimization (Wolak & Finkelhor, ). Minors are also likely to be

victimized by former or current romantic partners or known acquaintances (Wolak & Finkelhor,

; Patchin & Hinduja, ). While much of sextortion occurs between known persons, minors

are also targeted by adult strangers online (Acar, ;Clark,; O’Malley & Holt, ;Wittes

et al., ).

In these cases, offenders have been referred to as minor-focused sextortion offenders (O’Malley

&Holt,) and the most common demands made to victims are to self-produce child sexual

abuse material (CSAM), perpetrate sexual abuse against other minor children living in proximity

to the victim, and to physically meet the offender for sexual activity (O’Malley & Holt, ;Wittes

et al., ).

Sextortion of minors can occur even if the offender and victim never occupy the same physical

space, as perpetrators may live in different states or countries than victims. Their control and

abuse of children despite physical proximity constitutes what Wittes and colleagues ()have

termed “remote sexual assault” (p. ). As a result, this form of sextortion has been listed as a top