Boy, 13, threatened by scammer over sexual images

A young man has described the "terrifying" moment when he realised the "girl" he had been sending sexual images to as a 13-year-old boy was actually a cyber scammer.

Peter, not his real name, said he remembered connecting with someone on Skype who "was keen" on speaking with him, and that their conversation had quickly escalated.

After sending a series of sexual pictures and videos, the "girl" threatened to leak them to Peter's family and friends unless he paid thousands of pounds.

Shortly afterwards Peter - who is now in his 20s and lives in Liverpool - confided in his mum, who confronted the offender on a video messaging call. The contact then stopped.

Peter is sharing his story, from "several years ago", as part of Merseyside Police's crackdown on sextortion, or sexual extortion.

Sextortion is described as one of the fastest-growing online crimes, with the Internet Watch Foundation reporting a 72% year-on-year increase in cases in 2025.

Victims - often teenagers in Europe and the United States - are duped into sending intimate photos or videos, which the scammers then threaten to pass on unless they are paid.

Some victims of sextortion have even taken their own lives.

Peter's story started in a gaming community on Skype filled with people he did not know.

He said: "I remember someone saying this girl was keen, and I added her.

"I thought I was talking to someone my age, so I had no idea it was going to turn into blackmail."

Peter said the situation quickly escalated.

His Skype account was linked to Facebook and his friends list was public, with comments and likes on photos revealing family members.

The offender used this information to threaten him.

He said: "It felt like the whole thing turned on its head. I was shocked, and at 13 it was hard to process.

"The threat of them sending it to my family was terrifying."

Peter added that it had only become easier to talk about his experiences in recent years, and that he wished he had reported the crime at the time.

In February, Merseyside Police said it had arrested a man in relation to Peter's case, who remains under investigation.

Merseyside Police said "sextortion is blackmail".

"Offenders use threats and coercion to try to control victims, and we want people to know they will be taken seriously and supported if they report," said Det Sgt Danny Gavin.

"Our specialist investigators are relentless in their pursuit of offenders.

"We'll follow the evidence wherever it leads, and work across borders when necessary to identify offenders and put them before the courts."

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