Dec. 14, 2025
Extortion Unmasked: Safeguarding Kids from Online Predators and What to Do Next
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Extortion Unmasked: Safeguarding Kids from Online Predators and What to Do Next
In this eye-opening 30-minute episode of 69 South, we dive deep into the dark world of extortion, explaining exactly what it is and why it's a growing threat in the digital era. We break down essential conversations parents must have with their kids before handing over devices—from spotting red flags to setting safe boundaries. Plus, we share actionable steps on what to do if your child becomes a victim, including reporting tips and recovery resources. We spotlight notorious criminal networks like the 764 gang, Ivory Coast scammers, and other global operations preying on vulnerable youth. Tune in to empower yourself and protect your family! #ExtortionAwareness #OnlineSafety #ParentingInDigitalAge #SextortionPrevention #CyberCrime #ChildProtection #FamilySafetyTips #Trending #Parenting #DigitalParenting #PodcastAlert #69South #TrueCrime
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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome everyone to podcast 69 South where we kiss and discuss true crime, code cases, current events, and hot topics along with our state of society today.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is your trigger warning.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Our podcast content is produced for adult listeners 18 years of age and older.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We discuss situations that may be offensive and triggering to some listeners sit back, relax, and enjoy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to the podcast everybody.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I am chop your host and rod and shot gun is my beautiful ghost Julie.
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[SPEAKER_00]: How are you doing today?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Hello, I'm amazing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Might bit chilly and snowy out there.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I can't believe we got that much snow.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I can't either.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It looks like it's six, seven inches deep out there.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's the good type of snow to build a snowman in it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Nah, it's kind of light and fluffy and like, no, I think the good, the better snow is when it's calm, a little bit milder and it sticks together by itself, but shows how smart I am.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm very smart, babe.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We're making a episode today for a couple of reasons.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We really want to bring awareness to this thing that's kind of sweeping the nation and it's getting a lot of attention right now.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And just when you think there's not enough stuff to harm the children of this world and our country.
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[SPEAKER_00]: not only protected, and it gets predators that are around you, but there's another thing called sex distortion that's going around, and it's been linked to quite a few suicides around the nation, and it's getting like to be a real bad problem like in a real short period of time.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Exactly, the FBI warns that extortion is exploding, and young boys are being targeted constantly.
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[SPEAKER_01]: from October 2021 to March of 2023, federal agents received over 13,000 reports of sex distortion of minors.
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[SPEAKER_01]: One, as young as eight years old, at least 20 of the victims took their own lives.
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[SPEAKER_00]: No, it's hard really hard for people that are a little bit older to relate to kids nowadays because it's just so different.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Everything is just so different than from when we were kids.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And it changed quick.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Real quick.
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[SPEAKER_00]: These social media apps that are
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[SPEAKER_00]: the common apps and sites that this type of thing is happening on is the common ones.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You got your Instagram a lot of times the Instagram is the one that's used for the initial contact and then snapchat and Facebook and then there's the chat video apps, omega, discord, kick, the usual suspects there, gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, Minecraft, all the games that young boys
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[SPEAKER_01]: So on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, fake profiles DM with Plurty openers and then Snapchat's disappearing messages, lure sharing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Omega shut down in 2023 due to abuse on their platform.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, discord and kick, they can be all anonymous.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So there's no type of age verification, and you definitely don't want your children on sites like that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Robux, Fortnite, and Minecraft have in-game chats or friendly quests that lead to off-platform DMs.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Kids spend hours here and predators pose as teammates and become friends, and that's how they infiltrate your child's inner circle.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's horrible how these innocent things that kids can be doing, that there's predators on there, that they're just ready to snap and jump
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[SPEAKER_00]: infiltrate your child's lives, you know, in this day and age, you can't really, it's super hard to control every aspect of your kid's life.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We just have to try and do the best that we can and keep an eye on them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: With adding, you know, a little bit of trust in our children, you can't just, we can't just babysit our kids 100% of the time all the time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, they have to learn how to make decisions right, you know, themselves.
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[SPEAKER_01]: right and wrong, but it's hard.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's really hard.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's really hard.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So after this sex distortion starts, these predators will move their conversations to secondary encrypted apps like WhatsApp, telegram, and Google chat.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They move here post contact for blackmail.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And these apps have end to end encryption, which hides evidence, and that's why they choose those platforms.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That makes sense.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So what exactly is sex distortion you may be wondering?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Sex distortion is where predators coerced children into sharing explicit images or videos.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and then they blackmailing for either more content, money, or silence, and it's exploded into a global crisis.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Again, the FBI reports a 20% year-over-year increase in the cases targeting minors with over 3,000 confirmed victims in the U.S. alone last year.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Predominantly teenage boys aged 14 to 17 are the ones that's being targeted.
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[SPEAKER_00]: tragically at least 27 suicides among team boys have been linked to these schemes since 2021.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Kids rarely tell their parents due to shame or fear of judgment, getting in trouble, believe they've done something wrong, and the perpetrators are exploiting this isolation ruthlessly.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And kids are going to be curious, so it's not about blaming the kids.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The whole idea is about arming families with a dollar, so maybe we can disrupt these networks before they're striking our children.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So how scammers make first contact?
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[SPEAKER_01]: This is their grooming playbook.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Predators don't cold call.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They infiltrate kids' digital world, like wolves and sheep's clothing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They scour public social media profiles for details.
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[SPEAKER_01]: to craft hyper personalized approaches that feel genuine and local.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Their goal, build rapid trust through flirtation or friendship.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then they'll pivot to explicit demands.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what we're saying is your kids can be online and doing everyday, normal teenage stuff.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And these people are, as Julie said,
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[SPEAKER_00]: They're learning what is friendly to you, like your friends, names, the stuff that you're doing in school at the moment.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So to your child or your teenager, it probably seems, it'll seem like a normal conversation start, which seems to be
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[SPEAKER_00]: All legit, these predators and black mayors they'll set up a fake profile, like they'll often use, like a cute girl or a cute boy pick.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Send an innocent friends request or DM game invite.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They'll name drop, like, hey, I saw you playing basketball.
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[SPEAKER_00]: nightro high and that was so cool and it's, it'll seem like it's appear from the same town, conversation start innocent, they'll use shared interest, compliments, emojis, regular, teenage shit and then within minutes or hours it escalates to, hey, send me a pick or truth or dare show me something fun.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, once a kid shares any type of image, it doesn't even have to be,
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[SPEAKER_01]: a bad image, but if they share a nude or semi explicit image, even under pressure, the predator screenshots it, and then they'll reveal their true intent and threaten distribution to family, friends, school, or online, unless demands are met, which could be more images, live streams.
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[SPEAKER_01]: uh, send in them cash via cash app or Vinmo or gift cards payments can start at around $100 but escalate to thousands.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, if ignored, they follow through doxing victims to amplify their humiliation.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And that's the trap.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Now, while a lot of these kids are falling into, it is because the predators will target quote unquote, the popular kids.
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[SPEAKER_00]: athletes like capins of the football team or the captain of the cheerleaders team, kids who fear reputational ruin the most, they'll send their own fake nudes first and normalize it or use coercion like if you don't send this, I'll tell everyone that your gay or this and that the whole exchange can literally happen under 90 minutes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Here in the past couple of days, we've been researching a lot of these cases, and it's literally been just like two hours worth of communication.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It'll start with the DMs or whatever, and then literally within a couple of hours, some of these kids are taken it to the extreme and have committed suicide for fear of having to tell everybody you're getting docks with these pictures.
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[SPEAKER_01]: This isn't random.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's scripted, scalable, and often run by organized overseas crews treating kids like ATMs.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Along with that, then you have the people you personally know which could be ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends, ex-friends or co-workers, even family.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Disgrunned friend, frienders.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's a lie.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, there is one group called 764, and it's a U.S.-based violent online group, coursing self-harm in CSAM via the discord and telegram, and then there's the Ivory Coast broateeers and broateeers is what they're calling themselves, but it's often west-African what they're calling hustle kingdoms.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of times there's older people in these countries, they're teaching and breeding.
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[SPEAKER_00]: the young people in their countries, as young as 13 fraud tactics, interples 2025, Pan African raids, nap 260 suspects across 14 countries, dismantling 81 groups.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Now here's an example of a couple of these broateurs as they're calling themselves.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The biggest players were the Nigerian Yahoo boys.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Meditia down 63,000 accounts in 2024.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They run sex-stortion farms in Legos using US teen suicides as success stories on TikTok.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They target boys for quick cash.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now 30% of global cases trace to this location or back to this group.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So they're not even, it's not even just the fact that they're doing this, but they're bragging about it and using these as like you said success stories, teaching their young generation in their countries to, you know, it's showing them how they can make a lot of money by targeting American young boys for this type of shit.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, similar to the Yahoo boys,
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[SPEAKER_01]: soccer boys, the Ghanaian soccer boys to be exact.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I had to look at that word twice and they focus on cat fishing via gaming apps and this is rising in the U.S. quickly.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's not only coming out of the African countries.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's other global hubs dark web rings.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There was an FBI operation called Grayschool.
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[SPEAKER_00]: great school that took down infant abuse sites in 2025 with the rest in countries like the UK and Germany and South Africa.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's also been isolated U.S. cases like a New York middle school or running a peer extortion ring via Snapchat.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So it's here in the country and abroad.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's getting really big.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And a middle schooler running it as well.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, via Snapchat.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He was probably
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[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, people can see that it's an easy way to extort people, especially vulnerable children.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to do it if it's profitable, unfortunately.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of these aren't loan wolves.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Their businesses with scripts, fake ID generators, and money meals.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The FBI warns 490% arrest surge in 2025, but under-reporting hides the scale.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And just like the, the predator stuff that we usually talk about here on 69 South could you imagine the stuff that's not being reported, due to embarrassment, like saying some of these kids are probably paying the 50 or $100 that they can do it, hoping these guys will go away.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But if you are one of them children, usually these guys don't go away.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If they see that you're going to be able to send money to keep them from docs and your pictures.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or embarrassing you or sending that stuff out, they're going to keep on until they wear you out until it's dry no matter what it takes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So there's also a twist in all this.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The AI twist, which is making this sex distortion deadlier and easier.
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[SPEAKER_01]: AI is turbocharging this nightmare, lowering barriers for scammers.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They no longer need victims to send real news.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They use tools to create deep banks from innocent selfies, turning a clothed Instagram pick into explicit fake in seconds.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So there's actually apps that'll do that, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: They'll take a clothed picture and in seconds make a new photo of you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's crazy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's insane.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He had some AI generated.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think it was an in-think content.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, absolutely was.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So disgusting.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So not only does AI alter images, it will generate convincing biographies like on your Facebook or your Snapchat responses to text messages, even voices for video calls.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's pretty much making up a whole new little person and AI will,
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[SPEAKER_01]: do everything even at the user's age they'll put in.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I need a response to this question and make it like a 13 or 14 year old boy or girl would say it and it'll do it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so AI is getting so smart that it can know the response to whatever you're going to say before you even say it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like the slang terms, the language.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's mimicking what another kid their age would say or do.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Scary shit.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So not only are they having them mimic a whole person, they are taking these AI-edited videos and they'll add
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[SPEAKER_01]: self-harm or violence threats, kind of like the 764 group did.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So they'll take these videos and they'll make a video of like showing you cutting your wrist or something like that or you doing an active violence or self-harm and then they'll use that image or video to, to, to extort you as well.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Plus, to add another layer of
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[SPEAKER_01]: a victim to do something to and record it and send it back to them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, who better you could you recruit to target a 14-year-old boy than other 14-year-old boys who probably know the more vulnerable people in their school or their circle?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And they're so scared.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They think, oh, well, if I do this, I'll, I'm going to get out of this or they'll get rid of the pictures or they're so desperate to get out of this situation that if they feel that's the only way that's going to make it stop, they're now becoming the abuser.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I can see that should happen really easy these days and it's like a deadly cycle.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I know one way that would probably help a little bit of preamp strikes on this is if your child or your teenager does have social media, make them put the on people that can contact them as like their friends only.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That way strangers can't pop in there with these deep fake videos or these AI-generated conversations.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's at least one step or just get them a flip phone.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I made that lie.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I sat down and wrote out a bullet point list of what parents should sit down and tell their children or teen, based a face, no sugar coating it before ever handing them a smartphone or device that connects to the internet.
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[SPEAKER_01]: These conversations should happen
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[SPEAKER_01]: and you should make it clear that these rules are non-negotiable for their safety.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Let your children know that anyone who messages them asking for naked pictures or videos is definitely not a friend, not a crush, and probably not another kid that they're usually a criminal trying to blackmail them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter how cute their profile pic is or how much they say they like you, it's usually a scam every single time.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Never send a new to photo or video to anyone, ever.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Not a boyfriend, not a girlfriend, not just for fun, not on a dare, because once it's sent, it's gone forever.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You lose control.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Scammers will use it to threaten you, demand money, or ruin your life.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If someone you don't know in real life
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[SPEAKER_00]: especially complimenting you on your looks or trying to flirt, blocking report them immediately.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do not reply, do not be polite, don't get curious, just nip that in the butt, ASAP.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Your social media accounts must be private.
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[SPEAKER_01]: When you're child, if you have social media, it should always be private because they're a minor.
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[SPEAKER_01]: No public posts, no location tags, no school name, and your bio.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Strangers should not be able to find you easily.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And do not accept friend request, follows, or game and advice from people you don't know in person.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Even if they say they go to your school or know your friends, verify that in real life first.
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[SPEAKER_01]: If anyone ever threatens to share your photos, hurt you, or expose something unless you send.
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[SPEAKER_01]: more or pay money, your child needs to know that they need to tell you immediately, no matter how embarrassed they may feel.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You need to let them know that they will not get in trouble for coming to you and talking to you and that it's your job to protect them and that as their parent, you will definitely go to the police
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[SPEAKER_00]: and you need to explain to them that screenshots last forever, even on a snapchat or apps they say messages disappear.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The only other person, I mean, the other person can screenshot it or record everything.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There are organized criminal groups overseas whose full-time job is pretending to be hot girls or hot boys to trick kids into sending news than extorting them.
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[SPEAKER_01]: but it won't happen to you if you follow these rules.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Let them know that if something feels off or feels weird or somebody's being real pushy or just acting too fast in an online conversation, stop talking to them and tell your parents, always trust your gut.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's a real important bullet point to tell your children.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Trust your gut if it doesn't seem right, it probably ain't.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You do not owe anyone pictures, videos or personal information just because they asked or because you've been talking for a while saying no is always allowed.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Let them know that you will be checking their phone and apps regularly.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This actually should be done every evening.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I agree with that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Not only not because that you may not trust them, but because predators are professional and they're hiding and manipulating, it's about safety, not privacy at this point.
21:56.662 --> 22:05.312
[SPEAKER_01]: If you ever see or experience something that scares you online, you need to let your kids know
22:05.647 --> 22:10.333
[SPEAKER_01]: they can come to you right away, and there won't be any judgment.
22:11.014 --> 22:15.139
[SPEAKER_01]: The only wrong choices staying silent and handling it alone.
22:15.880 --> 22:33.983
[SPEAKER_00]: And when you're having these conversations with your child, it may seem that you're coming at him with a whole bunch of new rules and a whole bunch of restrictions, but always in the conversation, tell them how much you love them and that these rules are only existing because as parents, we're gonna refuse to let anyone hurt our children.
22:34.418 --> 22:40.604
[SPEAKER_00]: The online world has real dangers and let them know that you're here to help them stay safe in it.
22:41.705 --> 22:42.807
[SPEAKER_01]: I completely agree.
22:42.847 --> 22:46.831
[SPEAKER_01]: And there are apps like, I believe it's bark.
22:46.951 --> 22:48.312
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I found another one.
22:48.352 --> 22:51.956
[SPEAKER_01]: It's called M. M. Guardian.
22:52.857 --> 23:02.046
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's supposed to let the parent block stuff from being even received on a child's phone.
23:02.549 --> 23:03.791
[SPEAKER_01]: I haven't really looked into it.
23:03.851 --> 23:14.885
[SPEAKER_01]: I just seen it and thought that I would mention it in case parents want to know some resources or apps to help them prevent some of this on their child's phone.
23:15.506 --> 23:29.063
[SPEAKER_00]: Hopefully some of these apps are if there's not one yet, maybe somebody can come out with one that recognizes different keywords that if it comes up in a conversation on your child's phone, like if it, like just any keyword, like, you know,
23:30.173 --> 23:34.919
[SPEAKER_00]: Tits or, you know, just in that nature, if not there should be.
23:35.980 --> 23:53.481
[SPEAKER_00]: In this episode, we kind of dummy down our cussing with our discussing because we would like for you to be able to use this episode and show it to your children, maybe it will help you kind of explain to them and let them know the real dangers of these situations.
23:53.461 --> 24:08.483
[SPEAKER_00]: In this online world today, trust me, it almost feels hopeless to the point of defeat when you're trying to protect your children from this, especially when they're at the age from 15.
24:08.463 --> 24:12.069
[SPEAKER_00]: to going on 18, being real close to being adult.
24:12.850 --> 24:19.280
[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes you're gonna have to transition from them being a child to a young adult.
24:19.841 --> 24:23.147
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's gonna be extremely hard to protect them.
24:23.708 --> 24:35.787
[SPEAKER_00]: The best way we can protect them is to be vigilant, teach them how to look for stuff on their own and gradually take them into the adult online responsibilities that they need to be taught.
24:37.066 --> 24:49.925
[SPEAKER_00]: This extortion thing is taken off like wildfire and we have looked at some of these cases where it was just an average everyday normal teenager with a normal school life and home life.
24:50.646 --> 25:00.981
[SPEAKER_00]: And then within a matter of hours, these children were taken their lives and it being extorted for the type of things that we've been discussing here today.
25:02.682 --> 25:07.168
[SPEAKER_00]: there's some of these parents that were probably thinking, hey, you know, not my kid.
25:07.188 --> 25:31.862
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if you guys remember that commercial that used to be on in the 90s where you, they would say, hey, watch your kids because they might be getting on drugs and parents would say, well, not my kid, I trust my kid not to do drugs, and you really should trust your kid, not to do drugs in this and the other, but this online stuff is just as addictive and obviously it's becoming just as dangerous.
25:33.547 --> 25:38.373
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to look at these, these suicide cases in more detail to bring awareness.
25:39.153 --> 25:48.965
[SPEAKER_00]: I know a lot of these children's parents were blindsided by this and wish that they had been more vigilant, but it's really hard to be vigilant.
25:49.686 --> 25:55.993
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I was saying, one of the best tools that we can use is to educate our kids on these predators.
25:56.902 --> 26:09.275
[SPEAKER_01]: We wanted to do this episode so we could explain what sixth portion is because we're going to be doing a series of stories about sixth portion and what it has done.
26:09.355 --> 26:17.223
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to be talking about, we're going to do an episode talking about the 764 group, which is pretty much like a cult.
26:17.664 --> 26:26.453
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's the most heinous digital online child exploitation
26:26.618 --> 26:42.301
[SPEAKER_01]: encountered, then we'll be covering an Indiana man that just got convicted of sex distortion, along with family and co-workers, sex distortion, along with the boys' suicides.
26:42.581 --> 26:47.168
[SPEAKER_01]: We got a couple stories from that as well.
26:47.729 --> 26:51.815
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of these things are very painful to talk about, but it's what's happening.
26:52.055 --> 26:56.001
[SPEAKER_00]: Raising awareness in these
26:56.960 --> 27:10.817
[SPEAKER_01]: And I misspoke it wasn't an Indiana man it was an Indiana case because the victims were from Indiana so that's how they charge the case here.
27:11.557 --> 27:24.149
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, the statistics say that one in just a very few teenagers will experience this sex-dortion type of things and so many teenagers are online.
27:24.949 --> 27:39.623
[SPEAKER_00]: So what can we do and what should parents immediately do if you find out that your teenager
27:40.295 --> 27:42.517
[SPEAKER_01]: that, you know, this is going to be okay.
27:43.338 --> 27:44.479
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to get through this.
27:45.180 --> 27:50.966
[SPEAKER_01]: The most important step is to tell their child that they are a victim of a serious crime.
27:51.507 --> 27:53.449
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is not their fault.
27:53.969 --> 28:00.016
[SPEAKER_01]: The child is likely experiencing intense shame, fear, or panic.
28:00.656 --> 28:05.702
[SPEAKER_01]: The parent's first reaction must be one of calm, unconditional support and non-judgment.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Let the child know their first move
28:11.767 --> 28:12.569
[SPEAKER_00]: very important.
28:13.912 --> 28:18.183
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not pay the quote unquote ransom.
28:18.724 --> 28:20.348
[SPEAKER_00]: Do not delete anything.
28:21.772 --> 28:28.408
[SPEAKER_00]: Paying will always almost always lead to further demands for more money or images.
28:30.768 --> 28:37.717
[SPEAKER_00]: The reason you do not want to delete it, anything is because the message is images and accounts are evidence needed for law enforcement.
28:38.358 --> 28:50.235
[SPEAKER_00]: Take screenshots of all the conversations, user profiles, the images and videos received, and then immediately block the perpetrator on all platforms, social media, etc.
28:50.295 --> 28:55.662
[SPEAKER_00]: Immediately, obviously do not respond any further with the messages or threats.
28:55.996 --> 29:03.071
[SPEAKER_01]: report the crime, contact the appropriate authorities and organizations immediately.
29:03.091 --> 29:09.043
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a form of child sexual exploitation and must be reported.
29:09.935 --> 29:20.172
[SPEAKER_00]: The cyber tip line at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 1-800-The-Lost or online at report.sibertip.org.
29:20.833 --> 29:28.826
[SPEAKER_00]: They are the nation's largest reporting system for online exploitation of children and they can help with the resource coordination.
29:29.968 --> 29:33.293
[SPEAKER_01]: Then you'll have your local law enforcement or the FBI.
29:35.197 --> 29:43.470
[SPEAKER_01]: And the last step would be to utilize the National Center for missing and exploited children's take it down tool.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You use the take it down tool at takeitdown.ncmc.org.
29:51.982 --> 30:02.318
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a free service that helps victims remove or stop online sharing of intimate images or videos taken before they were 18.
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[SPEAKER_01]: it works with participating public platforms and allows the child to remain anonymous.
30:09.160 --> 30:20.577
[SPEAKER_00]: When you utilize the ticket down to the online platforms, a responsible to get those images off of line within 48 hours, just so be aware of that.
30:20.945 --> 30:41.029
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, this was useful information for you guys and we appreciate you listening and if you'd like to support us here at 69 South, keep the lights on in the studio, go to www.patreon.com
00:01.010 --> 00:10.743
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome everyone to podcast 69 South where we kiss and discuss true crime, code cases, current events, and hot topics along with our state of society today.
00:11.865 --> 00:12.946
[SPEAKER_00]: This is your trigger warning.
00:13.187 --> 00:18.134
[SPEAKER_00]: Our podcast content is produced for adult listeners 18 years of age and older.
00:18.694 --> 00:25.043
[SPEAKER_00]: We discuss situations that may be offensive and triggering to some listeners sit back, relax, and enjoy.
00:28.685 --> 00:30.428
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to the podcast everybody.
00:30.728 --> 00:35.516
[SPEAKER_00]: I am chop your host and rod and shot gun is my beautiful ghost Julie.
00:35.556 --> 00:36.357
[SPEAKER_00]: How are you doing today?
00:36.617 --> 00:38.440
[SPEAKER_01]: Hello, I'm amazing.
00:38.480 --> 00:41.124
[SPEAKER_00]: Might bit chilly and snowy out there.
00:41.144 --> 00:43.107
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't believe we got that much snow.
00:43.588 --> 00:44.149
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't either.
00:44.209 --> 00:47.033
[SPEAKER_00]: It looks like it's six, seven inches deep out there.
00:47.414 --> 00:51.300
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the good type of snow to build a snowman in it.
00:51.702 --> 01:07.332
[SPEAKER_00]: Nah, it's kind of light and fluffy and like, no, I think the good, the better snow is when it's calm, a little bit milder and it sticks together by itself, but shows how smart I am.
01:07.813 --> 01:09.897
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm very smart, babe.
01:11.125 --> 01:13.489
[SPEAKER_00]: We're making a episode today for a couple of reasons.
01:13.950 --> 01:20.240
[SPEAKER_00]: We really want to bring awareness to this thing that's kind of sweeping the nation and it's getting a lot of attention right now.
01:20.320 --> 01:26.991
[SPEAKER_00]: And just when you think there's not enough stuff to harm the children of this world and our country.
01:26.971 --> 01:46.496
[SPEAKER_00]: not only protected, and it gets predators that are around you, but there's another thing called sex distortion that's going around, and it's been linked to quite a few suicides around the nation, and it's getting like to be a real bad problem like in a real short period of time.
01:47.898 --> 01:54.767
[SPEAKER_01]: Exactly, the FBI warns that extortion is exploding, and young boys are being targeted constantly.
01:55.287 --> 02:03.748
[SPEAKER_01]: from October 2021 to March of 2023, federal agents received over 13,000 reports of sex distortion of minors.
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[SPEAKER_01]: One, as young as eight years old, at least 20 of the victims took their own lives.
02:10.238 --> 02:17.890
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it's hard really hard for people that are a little bit older to relate to kids nowadays because it's just so different.
02:17.930 --> 02:20.955
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything is just so different than from when we were kids.
02:21.355 --> 02:22.657
[SPEAKER_01]: And it changed quick.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Real quick.
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[SPEAKER_00]: These social media apps that are
02:26.303 --> 02:31.068
[SPEAKER_00]: the common apps and sites that this type of thing is happening on is the common ones.
02:31.088 --> 02:56.057
[SPEAKER_00]: You got your Instagram a lot of times the Instagram is the one that's used for the initial contact and then snapchat and Facebook and then there's the chat video apps, omega, discord, kick, the usual suspects there, gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, Minecraft, all the games that young boys
02:56.577 --> 03:07.333
[SPEAKER_01]: So on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, fake profiles DM with Plurty openers and then Snapchat's disappearing messages, lure sharing.
03:08.194 --> 03:13.562
[SPEAKER_01]: Omega shut down in 2023 due to abuse on their platform.
03:14.263 --> 03:17.648
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, discord and kick, they can be all anonymous.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So there's no type of age verification, and you definitely don't want your children on sites like that.
03:24.893 --> 03:33.586
[SPEAKER_01]: Robux, Fortnite, and Minecraft have in-game chats or friendly quests that lead to off-platform DMs.
03:34.327 --> 03:42.400
[SPEAKER_01]: Kids spend hours here and predators pose as teammates and become friends, and that's how they infiltrate your child's inner circle.
03:43.061 --> 03:51.694
[SPEAKER_00]: It's horrible how these innocent things that kids can be doing, that there's predators on there, that they're just ready to snap and jump
03:53.210 --> 04:02.282
[SPEAKER_00]: infiltrate your child's lives, you know, in this day and age, you can't really, it's super hard to control every aspect of your kid's life.
04:02.322 --> 04:06.147
[SPEAKER_00]: We just have to try and do the best that we can and keep an eye on them.
04:07.770 --> 04:15.280
[SPEAKER_00]: With adding, you know, a little bit of trust in our children, you can't just, we can't just babysit our kids 100% of the time all the time.
04:16.001 --> 04:19.285
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, they have to learn how to make decisions right, you know, themselves.
04:19.366 --> 04:21.709
[SPEAKER_01]: right and wrong, but it's hard.
04:21.950 --> 04:22.771
[SPEAKER_00]: It's really hard.
04:22.871 --> 04:23.612
[SPEAKER_00]: It's really hard.
04:24.654 --> 04:42.079
[SPEAKER_01]: So after this sex distortion starts, these predators will move their conversations to secondary encrypted apps like WhatsApp, telegram, and Google chat.
04:42.459 --> 04:45.103
[SPEAKER_01]: They move here post contact for blackmail.
04:45.488 --> 04:52.662
[SPEAKER_01]: And these apps have end to end encryption, which hides evidence, and that's why they choose those platforms.
04:53.303 --> 04:53.904
[SPEAKER_00]: That makes sense.
04:54.966 --> 04:58.473
[SPEAKER_01]: So what exactly is sex distortion you may be wondering?
04:59.395 --> 05:04.645
[SPEAKER_00]: Sex distortion is where predators coerced children into sharing explicit images or videos.
05:05.047 --> 05:12.459
[SPEAKER_00]: and then they blackmailing for either more content, money, or silence, and it's exploded into a global crisis.
05:13.280 --> 05:22.915
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, the FBI reports a 20% year-over-year increase in the cases targeting minors with over 3,000 confirmed victims in the U.S. alone last year.
05:23.556 --> 05:28.624
[SPEAKER_00]: Predominantly teenage boys aged 14 to 17 are the ones that's being targeted.
05:28.672 --> 05:33.979
[SPEAKER_00]: tragically at least 27 suicides among team boys have been linked to these schemes since 2021.
05:35.341 --> 05:47.017
[SPEAKER_00]: Kids rarely tell their parents due to shame or fear of judgment, getting in trouble, believe they've done something wrong, and the perpetrators are exploiting this isolation ruthlessly.
05:49.320 --> 05:54.747
[SPEAKER_00]: And kids are going to be curious, so it's not about blaming the kids.
05:55.520 --> 06:02.487
[SPEAKER_00]: The whole idea is about arming families with a dollar, so maybe we can disrupt these networks before they're striking our children.
06:03.287 --> 06:05.690
[SPEAKER_01]: So how scammers make first contact?
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[SPEAKER_01]: This is their grooming playbook.
06:08.893 --> 06:10.474
[SPEAKER_01]: Predators don't cold call.
06:11.075 --> 06:15.279
[SPEAKER_01]: They infiltrate kids' digital world, like wolves and sheep's clothing.
06:15.900 --> 06:24.548
[SPEAKER_01]: They scour public social media profiles for details.
06:25.085 --> 06:30.192
[SPEAKER_01]: to craft hyper personalized approaches that feel genuine and local.
06:30.993 --> 06:36.480
[SPEAKER_01]: Their goal, build rapid trust through flirtation or friendship.
06:37.301 --> 06:40.566
[SPEAKER_01]: And then they'll pivot to explicit demands.
06:41.066 --> 06:48.576
[SPEAKER_00]: So what we're saying is your kids can be online and doing everyday, normal teenage stuff.
06:49.217 --> 06:53.623
[SPEAKER_00]: And these people are, as Julie said,
06:54.143 --> 07:02.300
[SPEAKER_00]: They're learning what is friendly to you, like your friends, names, the stuff that you're doing in school at the moment.
07:02.401 --> 07:10.498
[SPEAKER_00]: So to your child or your teenager, it probably seems, it'll seem like a normal conversation start, which seems to be
07:11.677 --> 07:20.531
[SPEAKER_00]: All legit, these predators and black mayors they'll set up a fake profile, like they'll often use, like a cute girl or a cute boy pick.
07:21.272 --> 07:25.198
[SPEAKER_00]: Send an innocent friends request or DM game invite.
07:25.438 --> 07:28.723
[SPEAKER_00]: They'll name drop, like, hey, I saw you playing basketball.
07:28.703 --> 07:50.157
[SPEAKER_00]: nightro high and that was so cool and it's, it'll seem like it's appear from the same town, conversation start innocent, they'll use shared interest, compliments, emojis, regular, teenage shit and then within minutes or hours it escalates to, hey, send me a pick or truth or dare show me something fun.
07:51.018 --> 07:56.787
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, once a kid shares any type of image, it doesn't even have to be,
07:57.357 --> 08:23.095
[SPEAKER_01]: a bad image, but if they share a nude or semi explicit image, even under pressure, the predator screenshots it, and then they'll reveal their true intent and threaten distribution to family, friends, school, or online, unless demands are met, which could be more images, live streams.
08:23.581 --> 08:33.475
[SPEAKER_01]: uh, send in them cash via cash app or Vinmo or gift cards payments can start at around $100 but escalate to thousands.
08:34.036 --> 08:39.764
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, if ignored, they follow through doxing victims to amplify their humiliation.
08:40.905 --> 08:42.447
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's the trap.
08:42.988 --> 08:50.078
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, while a lot of these kids are falling into, it is because the predators will target quote unquote, the popular kids.
08:50.429 --> 09:14.732
[SPEAKER_00]: athletes like capins of the football team or the captain of the cheerleaders team, kids who fear reputational ruin the most, they'll send their own fake nudes first and normalize it or use coercion like if you don't send this, I'll tell everyone that your gay or this and that the whole exchange can literally happen under 90 minutes.
09:14.915 --> 09:24.390
[SPEAKER_00]: Here in the past couple of days, we've been researching a lot of these cases, and it's literally been just like two hours worth of communication.
09:24.430 --> 09:38.492
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll start with the DMs or whatever, and then literally within a couple of hours, some of these kids are taken it to the extreme and have committed suicide for fear of having to tell everybody you're getting docks with these pictures.
09:39.147 --> 09:40.349
[SPEAKER_01]: This isn't random.
09:40.529 --> 09:47.058
[SPEAKER_01]: It's scripted, scalable, and often run by organized overseas crews treating kids like ATMs.
09:47.839 --> 09:59.496
[SPEAKER_01]: Along with that, then you have the people you personally know which could be ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends, ex-friends or co-workers, even family.
10:00.197 --> 10:04.683
[SPEAKER_00]: Disgrunned friend, frienders.
10:04.764 --> 10:07.888
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a lie.
10:08.594 --> 10:30.494
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, there is one group called 764, and it's a U.S.-based violent online group, coursing self-harm in CSAM via the discord and telegram, and then there's the Ivory Coast broateeers and broateeers is what they're calling themselves, but it's often west-African what they're calling hustle kingdoms.
10:30.695 --> 10:35.479
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of times there's older people in these countries, they're teaching and breeding.
10:35.847 --> 10:48.312
[SPEAKER_00]: the young people in their countries, as young as 13 fraud tactics, interples 2025, Pan African raids, nap 260 suspects across 14 countries, dismantling 81 groups.
10:48.753 --> 10:53.603
[SPEAKER_00]: Now here's an example of a couple of these broateurs as they're calling themselves.
10:54.646 --> 10:59.371
[SPEAKER_01]: The biggest players were the Nigerian Yahoo boys.
11:00.112 --> 11:04.096
[SPEAKER_01]: Meditia down 63,000 accounts in 2024.
11:04.897 --> 11:14.407
[SPEAKER_01]: They run sex-stortion farms in Legos using US teen suicides as success stories on TikTok.
11:14.427 --> 11:16.789
[SPEAKER_01]: They target boys for quick cash.
11:17.370 --> 11:23.016
[SPEAKER_01]: Now 30% of global cases trace to this location or back to this group.
11:23.536 --> 11:44.318
[SPEAKER_00]: So they're not even, it's not even just the fact that they're doing this, but they're bragging about it and using these as like you said success stories, teaching their young generation in their countries to, you know, it's showing them how they can make a lot of money by targeting American young boys for this type of shit.
11:44.338 --> 11:52.547
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, similar to the Yahoo boys,
11:53.000 --> 11:57.666
[SPEAKER_01]: soccer boys, the Ghanaian soccer boys to be exact.
11:57.706 --> 12:08.480
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to look at that word twice and they focus on cat fishing via gaming apps and this is rising in the U.S. quickly.
12:08.760 --> 12:11.324
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's not only coming out of the African countries.
12:11.344 --> 12:15.129
[SPEAKER_00]: There's other global hubs dark web rings.
12:15.509 --> 12:18.433
[SPEAKER_00]: There was an FBI operation called Grayschool.
12:18.413 --> 12:27.004
[SPEAKER_00]: great school that took down infant abuse sites in 2025 with the rest in countries like the UK and Germany and South Africa.
12:27.365 --> 12:34.875
[SPEAKER_00]: There's also been isolated U.S. cases like a New York middle school or running a peer extortion ring via Snapchat.
12:35.456 --> 12:38.219
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's here in the country and abroad.
12:38.260 --> 12:39.521
[SPEAKER_00]: It's getting really big.
12:40.142 --> 12:44.147
[SPEAKER_01]: And a middle schooler running it as well.
12:44.348 --> 12:45.589
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, via Snapchat.
12:45.790 --> 12:48.353
[SPEAKER_00]: He was probably
12:49.345 --> 12:54.492
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, people can see that it's an easy way to extort people, especially vulnerable children.
12:54.652 --> 12:57.095
[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to do it if it's profitable, unfortunately.
12:58.477 --> 13:00.279
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of these aren't loan wolves.
13:00.520 --> 13:04.625
[SPEAKER_00]: Their businesses with scripts, fake ID generators, and money meals.
13:05.166 --> 13:18.964
[SPEAKER_00]: The FBI warns 490% arrest surge in 2025, but under-reporting hides the scale.
13:19.028 --> 13:35.830
[SPEAKER_00]: And just like the, the predator stuff that we usually talk about here on 69 South could you imagine the stuff that's not being reported, due to embarrassment, like saying some of these kids are probably paying the 50 or $100 that they can do it, hoping these guys will go away.
13:35.910 --> 13:40.296
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you are one of them children, usually these guys don't go away.
13:40.336 --> 13:44.361
[SPEAKER_00]: If they see that you're going to be able to send money to keep them from docs and your pictures.
13:44.341 --> 13:50.808
[SPEAKER_00]: Or embarrassing you or sending that stuff out, they're going to keep on until they wear you out until it's dry no matter what it takes.
13:51.629 --> 13:53.992
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's also a twist in all this.
13:54.572 --> 14:00.519
[SPEAKER_01]: The AI twist, which is making this sex distortion deadlier and easier.
14:00.579 --> 14:06.906
[SPEAKER_01]: AI is turbocharging this nightmare, lowering barriers for scammers.
14:07.409 --> 14:11.355
[SPEAKER_01]: They no longer need victims to send real news.
14:12.016 --> 14:21.529
[SPEAKER_01]: They use tools to create deep banks from innocent selfies, turning a clothed Instagram pick into explicit fake in seconds.
14:22.130 --> 14:24.514
[SPEAKER_00]: So there's actually apps that'll do that, right?
14:25.375 --> 14:30.322
[SPEAKER_00]: They'll take a clothed picture and in seconds make a new photo of you.
14:30.342 --> 14:31.284
[SPEAKER_00]: That's crazy.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's insane.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He had some AI generated.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think it was an in-think content.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, absolutely was.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So disgusting.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So not only does AI alter images, it will generate convincing biographies like on your Facebook or your Snapchat responses to text messages, even voices for video calls.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's pretty much making up a whole new little person and AI will,
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[SPEAKER_01]: do everything even at the user's age they'll put in.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I need a response to this question and make it like a 13 or 14 year old boy or girl would say it and it'll do it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so AI is getting so smart that it can know the response to whatever you're going to say before you even say it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Like the slang terms, the language.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's mimicking what another kid their age would say or do.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Scary shit.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So not only are they having them mimic a whole person, they are taking these AI-edited videos and they'll add
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[SPEAKER_01]: self-harm or violence threats, kind of like the 764 group did.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So they'll take these videos and they'll make a video of like showing you cutting your wrist or something like that or you doing an active violence or self-harm and then they'll use that image or video to, to, to extort you as well.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Plus, to add another layer of
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[SPEAKER_01]: a victim to do something to and record it and send it back to them.
16:32.543 --> 16:45.531
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, who better you could you recruit to target a 14-year-old boy than other 14-year-old boys who probably know the more vulnerable people in their school or their circle?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And they're so scared.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They think, oh, well, if I do this, I'll, I'm going to get out of this or they'll get rid of the pictures or they're so desperate to get out of this situation that if they feel that's the only way that's going to make it stop, they're now becoming the abuser.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I can see that should happen really easy these days and it's like a deadly cycle.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I know one way that would probably help a little bit of preamp strikes on this is if your child or your teenager does have social media, make them put the on people that can contact them as like their friends only.
17:30.772 --> 17:38.303
[SPEAKER_00]: That way strangers can't pop in there with these deep fake videos or these AI-generated conversations.
17:38.964 --> 17:42.349
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's at least one step or just get them a flip phone.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I made that lie.
17:44.662 --> 18:02.673
[SPEAKER_01]: I sat down and wrote out a bullet point list of what parents should sit down and tell their children or teen, based a face, no sugar coating it before ever handing them a smartphone or device that connects to the internet.
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[SPEAKER_01]: These conversations should happen
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[SPEAKER_01]: and you should make it clear that these rules are non-negotiable for their safety.
18:15.381 --> 18:27.995
[SPEAKER_00]: Let your children know that anyone who messages them asking for naked pictures or videos is definitely not a friend, not a crush, and probably not another kid that they're usually a criminal trying to blackmail them.
18:28.556 --> 18:35.404
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter how cute their profile pic is or how much they say they like you, it's usually a scam every single time.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Never send a new to photo or video to anyone, ever.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Not a boyfriend, not a girlfriend, not just for fun, not on a dare, because once it's sent, it's gone forever.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You lose control.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Scammers will use it to threaten you, demand money, or ruin your life.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If someone you don't know in real life
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[SPEAKER_00]: especially complimenting you on your looks or trying to flirt, blocking report them immediately.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do not reply, do not be polite, don't get curious, just nip that in the butt, ASAP.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Your social media accounts must be private.
19:20.678 --> 19:27.970
[SPEAKER_01]: When you're child, if you have social media, it should always be private because they're a minor.
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[SPEAKER_01]: No public posts, no location tags, no school name, and your bio.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Strangers should not be able to find you easily.
19:38.435 --> 19:43.780
[SPEAKER_00]: And do not accept friend request, follows, or game and advice from people you don't know in person.
19:44.380 --> 19:49.465
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if they say they go to your school or know your friends, verify that in real life first.
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[SPEAKER_01]: If anyone ever threatens to share your photos, hurt you, or expose something unless you send.
19:57.228 --> 20:08.923
[SPEAKER_01]: more or pay money, your child needs to know that they need to tell you immediately, no matter how embarrassed they may feel.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You need to let them know that they will not get in trouble for coming to you and talking to you and that it's your job to protect them and that as their parent, you will definitely go to the police
20:27.400 --> 20:34.266
[SPEAKER_00]: and you need to explain to them that screenshots last forever, even on a snapchat or apps they say messages disappear.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The only other person, I mean, the other person can screenshot it or record everything.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There are organized criminal groups overseas whose full-time job is pretending to be hot girls or hot boys to trick kids into sending news than extorting them.
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[SPEAKER_01]: but it won't happen to you if you follow these rules.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Let them know that if something feels off or feels weird or somebody's being real pushy or just acting too fast in an online conversation, stop talking to them and tell your parents, always trust your gut.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's a real important bullet point to tell your children.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Trust your gut if it doesn't seem right, it probably ain't.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You do not owe anyone pictures, videos or personal information just because they asked or because you've been talking for a while saying no is always allowed.
21:35.997 --> 21:40.162
[SPEAKER_00]: Let them know that you will be checking their phone and apps regularly.
21:40.422 --> 21:42.565
[SPEAKER_00]: This actually should be done every evening.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I agree with that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Not only not because that you may not trust them, but because predators are professional and they're hiding and manipulating, it's about safety, not privacy at this point.
21:56.662 --> 22:05.312
[SPEAKER_01]: If you ever see or experience something that scares you online, you need to let your kids know
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[SPEAKER_01]: they can come to you right away, and there won't be any judgment.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The only wrong choices staying silent and handling it alone.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And when you're having these conversations with your child, it may seem that you're coming at him with a whole bunch of new rules and a whole bunch of restrictions, but always in the conversation, tell them how much you love them and that these rules are only existing because as parents, we're gonna refuse to let anyone hurt our children.
22:34.418 --> 22:40.604
[SPEAKER_00]: The online world has real dangers and let them know that you're here to help them stay safe in it.
22:41.705 --> 22:42.807
[SPEAKER_01]: I completely agree.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And there are apps like, I believe it's bark.
22:46.951 --> 22:48.312
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I found another one.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's called M. M. Guardian.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And it's supposed to let the parent block stuff from being even received on a child's phone.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I haven't really looked into it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I just seen it and thought that I would mention it in case parents want to know some resources or apps to help them prevent some of this on their child's phone.
23:15.506 --> 23:29.063
[SPEAKER_00]: Hopefully some of these apps are if there's not one yet, maybe somebody can come out with one that recognizes different keywords that if it comes up in a conversation on your child's phone, like if it, like just any keyword, like, you know,
23:30.173 --> 23:34.919
[SPEAKER_00]: Tits or, you know, just in that nature, if not there should be.
23:35.980 --> 23:53.481
[SPEAKER_00]: In this episode, we kind of dummy down our cussing with our discussing because we would like for you to be able to use this episode and show it to your children, maybe it will help you kind of explain to them and let them know the real dangers of these situations.
23:53.461 --> 24:08.483
[SPEAKER_00]: In this online world today, trust me, it almost feels hopeless to the point of defeat when you're trying to protect your children from this, especially when they're at the age from 15.
24:08.463 --> 24:12.069
[SPEAKER_00]: to going on 18, being real close to being adult.
24:12.850 --> 24:19.280
[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes you're gonna have to transition from them being a child to a young adult.
24:19.841 --> 24:23.147
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's gonna be extremely hard to protect them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The best way we can protect them is to be vigilant, teach them how to look for stuff on their own and gradually take them into the adult online responsibilities that they need to be taught.
24:37.066 --> 24:49.925
[SPEAKER_00]: This extortion thing is taken off like wildfire and we have looked at some of these cases where it was just an average everyday normal teenager with a normal school life and home life.
24:50.646 --> 25:00.981
[SPEAKER_00]: And then within a matter of hours, these children were taken their lives and it being extorted for the type of things that we've been discussing here today.
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[SPEAKER_00]: there's some of these parents that were probably thinking, hey, you know, not my kid.
25:07.188 --> 25:31.862
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if you guys remember that commercial that used to be on in the 90s where you, they would say, hey, watch your kids because they might be getting on drugs and parents would say, well, not my kid, I trust my kid not to do drugs, and you really should trust your kid, not to do drugs in this and the other, but this online stuff is just as addictive and obviously it's becoming just as dangerous.
25:33.547 --> 25:38.373
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to look at these, these suicide cases in more detail to bring awareness.
25:39.153 --> 25:48.965
[SPEAKER_00]: I know a lot of these children's parents were blindsided by this and wish that they had been more vigilant, but it's really hard to be vigilant.
25:49.686 --> 25:55.993
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I was saying, one of the best tools that we can use is to educate our kids on these predators.
25:56.902 --> 26:09.275
[SPEAKER_01]: We wanted to do this episode so we could explain what sixth portion is because we're going to be doing a series of stories about sixth portion and what it has done.
26:09.355 --> 26:17.223
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to be talking about, we're going to do an episode talking about the 764 group, which is pretty much like a cult.
26:17.664 --> 26:26.453
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's the most heinous digital online child exploitation
26:26.618 --> 26:42.301
[SPEAKER_01]: encountered, then we'll be covering an Indiana man that just got convicted of sex distortion, along with family and co-workers, sex distortion, along with the boys' suicides.
26:42.581 --> 26:47.168
[SPEAKER_01]: We got a couple stories from that as well.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Some of these things are very painful to talk about, but it's what's happening.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Raising awareness in these
26:56.960 --> 27:10.817
[SPEAKER_01]: And I misspoke it wasn't an Indiana man it was an Indiana case because the victims were from Indiana so that's how they charge the case here.
27:11.557 --> 27:24.149
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, the statistics say that one in just a very few teenagers will experience this sex-dortion type of things and so many teenagers are online.
27:24.949 --> 27:39.623
[SPEAKER_00]: So what can we do and what should parents immediately do if you find out that your teenager
27:40.295 --> 27:42.517
[SPEAKER_01]: that, you know, this is going to be okay.
27:43.338 --> 27:44.479
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to get through this.
27:45.180 --> 27:50.966
[SPEAKER_01]: The most important step is to tell their child that they are a victim of a serious crime.
27:51.507 --> 27:53.449
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is not their fault.
27:53.969 --> 28:00.016
[SPEAKER_01]: The child is likely experiencing intense shame, fear, or panic.
28:00.656 --> 28:05.702
[SPEAKER_01]: The parent's first reaction must be one of calm, unconditional support and non-judgment.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Let the child know their first move
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[SPEAKER_00]: very important.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do not pay the quote unquote ransom.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do not delete anything.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Paying will always almost always lead to further demands for more money or images.
28:30.768 --> 28:37.717
[SPEAKER_00]: The reason you do not want to delete it, anything is because the message is images and accounts are evidence needed for law enforcement.
28:38.358 --> 28:50.235
[SPEAKER_00]: Take screenshots of all the conversations, user profiles, the images and videos received, and then immediately block the perpetrator on all platforms, social media, etc.
28:50.295 --> 28:55.662
[SPEAKER_00]: Immediately, obviously do not respond any further with the messages or threats.
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[SPEAKER_01]: report the crime, contact the appropriate authorities and organizations immediately.
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[SPEAKER_01]: This is a form of child sexual exploitation and must be reported.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The cyber tip line at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 1-800-The-Lost or online at report.sibertip.org.
29:20.833 --> 29:28.826
[SPEAKER_00]: They are the nation's largest reporting system for online exploitation of children and they can help with the resource coordination.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Then you'll have your local law enforcement or the FBI.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And the last step would be to utilize the National Center for missing and exploited children's take it down tool.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You use the take it down tool at takeitdown.ncmc.org.
29:51.982 --> 30:02.318
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a free service that helps victims remove or stop online sharing of intimate images or videos taken before they were 18.
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[SPEAKER_01]: it works with participating public platforms and allows the child to remain anonymous.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When you utilize the ticket down to the online platforms, a responsible to get those images off of line within 48 hours, just so be aware of that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, this was useful information for you guys and we appreciate you listening and if you'd like to support us here at 69 South, keep the lights on in the studio, go to www.patreon.com
