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Young person blackmailed with AI-generated sexual images in Northern Ireland
A young person in Portadown, Northern Ireland was blackmailed with AI-generated sexual images showing their face. Police are investigating the incident, which prompted a local GAA club to warn parents about AI-enabled sextortion scams.
6 January 2026 · Police Service of Northern Ireland · Harmful and abusive content
A young person in Portadown, Northern Ireland was targeted in an online blackmail scheme using AI-generated sexual images. The victim was contacted and told to pay money or risk fake sexual images of them being circulated.
The images showed the young person's face on an AI-generated body in sexual scenarios. A list of the victim's friends on social media was also sent to the young person.
Reported impact
The young person was targeted by AI image alterations and received threats that artificial sexual images would be shared online unless money was paid.
Index analysis
The incident illustrates risks from AI image generation tools with minimal content controls. Grok, Elon Musk's AI bot, has enabled users to modify images through text prompts, resulting in thousands of non-consensual sexual images being generated and posted online.