The internet can be a somewhat lawless place and it always feels like the authorities are always one step behind. Scammers and blackmailers have existed online since the dawn of the worldwide web, but according to one mom on TikTok they’ve recently added a new weapon to their arsenal: AI.
A video posted by a concerned mother on TikTok shows just how creative scammers are getting and it’s terrifying, especially when you consider the fact they are targeting kids. Kelsey, (@kelseyleaaaa) posted the video warning parents last month. In it she explains that her 11-year-old son was convinced by strangers online to send a picture of his face.
According to Kelsey AI was used on the image to generate inappropriate pictures with her son’s face. As if we didn’t have enough reasons to ban AI already.
@kelseyleaaaa Please stop and listen to this if your child has a phone. #parents #psa #warning #scammeralert
♬ original sound – thekelseyshow
Whoever he was talking to online then proceeded to demand that he send money or the pictures would be leaked. According to Kelsey this is what’s known as “sextortion” and it involves making use of AI to generate images of a victim in order to blackmail them. She claimed the pictures “looked real” and that her son was traumatized.
How to combat AI sextortion
Kelsey admits that her son should not have sent the picture of his face in the first place “but still what these people are doing is not right.” Regulations surrounding AI use would ideally need to be brought in sooner rather than later but as usual, the law is slow to catch up with the internet. This means people are going to have to be a whole lot more wary of who they share pictures with and who they trust online.
Sextortion is a serious matter and has led to tragic consequences in the past. In one case, a 15-year-old girl named Amanda Todd sadly took her own life after a blackmailer harassed her.
In the comment section people recommended devices that allow parents to control their children’s access to the internet such as a Bark Phone. Such measures could help prevent minors from ending up in a situation similar to Kelsey’s son, but of course, that advice was a little late for Kelsey.
The FBI can help
Due to the seriousness of the case Kelsey contacted the FBI which is probably the best approach anyone who is being extorted in such a way should take. In a follow-up video she told viewers what the FBI told her.
@kelseyleaaaa Replying to @Yaddith literally just got off the phone with them!
♬ original sound – thekelseyshow
According to her the FBI gets hundreds of these calls a day and they put the information Kelsey gave them into their system to help them keep better track in the future. In Kelsey and her son’s case the blackmailer left them alone once they realized they wouldn’t be getting paid, which is good news but it does mean the FBI will be prioritizing other ongoing cases instead of theirs.
Either way, this tale serves as a grim reminder of the kind of people that are out there on the worldwide web. Never trust anyone you don’t personally know and avoid sending pictures of yourself unless you know who you’re talking to.
