Cyber-blackmailers 'abuse hundreds'

Hundreds of British children are being blackmailed into performing sex acts online, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre has warned. Abusers posing online as children talk victims into sexual acts or sharing of images, then threaten to send pictures to the child's family and friends. Ceop said in 12 cases over two years, 424 children had been blackmailed in this way - 184 of them in the UK. Deputy chief executive Andy Baker said the abuse "escalates really quickly".e told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it could take as little as four minutes "to go from, 'Hi, do you want to get naked?', to self-harming". Seven victims have killed themselves, including a 17-year-old in the UK. Another seven seriously self-harmed, of whom six were from the UK. Mr Baker said: "We're talking about a very small dark percentage of [the internet] and this is what we need to police". Daniel Perry, from Dunfermline, Fife, took his own life in the summer after blackmailers demanded thousands of pounds having tricked him into thinking he was chatting with a US girl. 'Slave-like acts' He was told that his video conversations would be spread among friends and family unless he paid cash. Other victims have been told their activities would be shared unless they performed more extreme acts. Continue reading the main story Analysis Danny Shaw Home affairs correspondent, BBC News Of all the recent developments involving the internet this is one of the most disturbing. The perpetrators are usually calculating, computer-savvy men aged between 20 and 44; some act alone, others as part of an organised network. Their motives are more than just sexual - they want control, and in some cases money. The victims are girls and boys, unwittingly drawn into the paedophiles' net by the possibility of friendship or consensual sexual contact. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable as it's natural for them to explore their emerging sexuality or engage in risky behaviour - but few can imagine the dangers that their innocent internet chat may lead to. As well as catching the offenders, investigators say children and parents must be made aware of the risks. In the 12 cases highlighted by Ceop, the abusers came from four continents and in five cases the criminals were based in the UK. Children as young as eight had been forced to perform "slave-like acts", said Mr Baker. As well as the performance of sex acts, the abuse sometimes involved being forced to self-harm and there had been a few attempts to extort money. Experts highlighted the accessibility of the English language and foreign abusers' perceptions about the liberal nature of UK society as reasons for the targeting of British children. Mr Baker said thousands of British children could have been approached in attempts to instigate abuse. While only a handful of children will respond, thousands are exposed to the risk, he said. Ceop operations manager Stephanie McCourt said: "First of all it's the English language. They are able to threaten the children if they can communicate to them. English is a really popular universal language. "Second of all, the offenders have actually said that because they perceive the UK as a very free and open and liberal society, they think that they will have more success in targeting UK children." The biggest case, known as Operation K, involved 322 children around the world being blackmailed, including 96 in the UK. The victims were mainly boys aged 11 to 15, who were targeted by a gang from a non-European country. The suspects are due to stand trial in the coming weeks. Fake profiles The gang used more than 40 fake online profiles and more than 40 different email addresses to carry out their abuse. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. //

Cyber-blackmailers 'abuse hundreds' 2013-09-22T11:55:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Undercover 999