AI-generated content used in sextortion attacks on minors in Austria
Sextortion attacks against Austrian minors increasingly use AI-generated images and videos to impersonate fake attractive people and lure victims. Rat auf Draht reported a 20 percent increase in counselling cases in 2024, with the youngest victims (11-14 years old) showing the steepest growth.
What happened
Sextortion attacks against minors in Austria increasingly use AI-generated images and videos, according to Rat auf Draht, a child helpline. Perpetrators use AI-generated images or videos of fake attractive people to lure victims on social networks, dating platforms and online games.
Reported impact
Rat auf Draht conducted 327 counselling conversations with children and teenagers about sextortion in 2024, a 20 percent increase from 2023, which itself saw a 29 percent rise from 2022. The youngest age group (11-14 years old) showed the largest growth, with a 178 percent increase in consultations.
Index analysis
Victims are predominantly boys and young men (72 percent of 2024 cases), though the share of girls and young women increased to 28 percent in 2024 from 17 percent in 2023. Perpetrators use AI-generated fake profiles to establish trust before requesting intimate images or videos from victims and subsequently demanding payment under threat of public exposure.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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