FBI Warns of Growing Sextortion Scams Using Deepfakes

The FBI has warned of a spike in sextortion scams using deepfakes, fake but very convincing looking sexual content created from public photos and videos of victims taken from social media or video chats.
In English, sextortion is derived from the words sex (“sex”) and extortion (“extortion”). This tactic involves intimidating users: often, scammers send spam in which they seek to convince victims that they have some compromising images or videos, and then demand a ransom.
In many cases, such extortion is based on empty threats, as attackers only pretend that they have access to explicit content. But now the FBI has warned that “sex extortionists” are using a new tactic. They take public photos and videos of future victims from social networks and then use these images to create deepfakes.
Although the images and videos are fake, they are well suited for blackmail because they look real, and sending such material to the victim’s family or colleagues can cause serious damage to the victim and his reputation.
Experts at the FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IC3) write that, as of April 2023, they have documented a spike in attacks using such fake images and videos based on content from victims’ social media or videos taken during video chats.
“Based on recent reports from victims, attackers typically demanded: payment (such as money or gift cards), otherwise threatening to share images or videos with family members and friends of the victim; or required the victim to send real images or videos of a sexual nature, ”the FBI said.
Law enforcement officers also write that sometimes scammers do not immediately turn to extortion, but place deepfakes on porn sites, of course, without the knowledge and consent of the victims. In some cases, after that, the extortionists use such photos and videos to increase pressure on the victim, and demand money for the removal of materials from tailor sites. The FBI emphasizes that this activity of intruders, unfortunately, has already affected minors.

AI Tools for Content Creation

Experts note that the speed with which AI tools for content creation become available to a wide audience creates a hostile environment for all Internet users. For example, there are several projects available for free on GitHub that allow you to create realistic-looking videos based on the image of the victim’s face alone, without any additional training and datasets.
Many of these tools have built-in protection against misuse, but similar solutions are sold on the dark web that do not have such restrictions.

Tips to Avoid Sextortion Scams

The FBI recommends that parents monitor their children’s online activity and talk to them more often about the risks associated with sharing personal files. Adults who post images and videos online are advised to limit access to them to friends to reduce potential risks. At the same time, it is recommended to always hide or mask by blurring the faces of children in photos and videos.