AI tools enabling surge in sextortion scams targeting young men
A global survey found that 14.5% of adults have experienced sextortion, a form of sexual extortion involving threats to share intimate images. AI-powered tools are facilitating sextortion scams, with the Australian eSafety Commissioner reporting over 3,300 cases in 2025, predominantly targeting young men and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
What happened
A survey of over 16,000 respondents across ten countries found that 14.5% of adults have experienced sextortion, while 4.8% admitted to being perpetrators.
Sextortion involves making threats to share nude or sexual images to coerce victims into complying with behavioural or financial demands, including paying ransoms or sharing intimate images. The Australian eSafety Commissioner received more than 3,300 sextortion reports in 2025, with 86% from males and 42% from men aged 18 to 24 years.
AI-powered nudify tools that digitally remove clothing from images are making sextortion easier to carry out. The Australian eSafety Commissioner launched a campaign featuring AI-generated videos of attractive women attempting to lure men into financial scams.
Reported impact
Young men, LGBTQIA+ people, and younger respondents were more likely to fall victim to sextortion. The most common perpetrators were former or current intimate partners, sometimes using threats based on intimate images that don't even exist.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.