AI-Generated Nude Apps Used in Sextortion Scams Against Minors
Scammers use AI-powered 'nudify' apps to generate fake explicit images of minors for sextortion schemes, demanding payment under threat of sending the images to victims' families. The FBI reports a steep rise in such cases targeting US minors, with reported links to teenage deaths.
What happened
A Kentucky teenager, Elijah Heacock, 16, died by suicide in 2025 after receiving threatening text messages demanding $3,000 to suppress an AI-generated nude image of him.
Scammers use 'nudify' apps to create fake explicit images of minors and threaten to send them to family and friends unless payment is made. The FBI has reported a 'horrific increase' in sextortion cases targeting US minors, with victims typically males between ages 14 and 17, leading to an 'alarming number of suicides.'
Reported impact
Thorn, a non-profit focused on preventing online child exploitation, found that six percent of American teens have been a direct victim of deepfake nudes.
The Internet Watch Foundation identified a 'pedophile guide' developed by predators that explicitly encouraged the use of nudifying tools to generate material to blackmail children, with the guide's author claiming to have successfully blackmailed 13-year-old girls.
Index analysis
The Internet Watch Foundation reported that fakes and deepfakes generated using nudifying services are closely linked with financial sextortion and blackmail with sexually explicit images.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.