The modus operandi that the police warn against is about perpetrators, who pretend to be a girl of the same age, seeking contact with boys on the major social media platforms. By sending nude pictures, they try to ensnare the boys.
Recent case under investigation
Police are talking about a recent case where a boy has been chatting with what he believes to be a girl of the same age. The blackmailers pretended to be a person of the same age and sent nude pictures, and when the boy sent back pictures of himself, the blackmail began.
"It may be criminal gangs that are behind it," says police officer Mikael Ahrtzing, who works to investigate sexual abuse of children.
According to the police, the extortion of the boys could amount to thousands of kronor.
Laundering money
In some cases, the perpetrators of the extortion, by threatening to disseminate nude photos, have also tried to gain access to the accounts of the blackmailed for financial transactions in order to launder dirty money.
In the clip, Mikael Ahrtzing of the police in Västernorrland talks about how gang criminals can blackmail children with the help of nude pictures.