SALT LAKE CITY — The FBI on Thursday said its Utah field office is seeing a spike in sexual extortion cases in which male juveniles are targeted by adults posing as young girls.

In these “sextortion” cases, the extortionists coerce boys via social media to produce sexual photos and videos and then demand money from them, the field office said in a news release.

FBI spokeswoman Sandra Yi Barker said by email that three to five sextortion cases per month targeting young males in Utah have been reported to the FBI in recent months, compared to about one a month previously.

In these cases, the FBI said a predator uses deception and manipulation to convince a male, usually 14 to 17 years old, to engage in explicit conduct on video. The extortionist then demands money to prevent the imagery from being posted online.

The FBI said in its statement that parents and caregivers should be aware of the dangers and be vigilant about young people’s online activities. Many victims probably don’t come forward to parents or other trusted figures because of the activity they were cajoled into. One victim reporting the crimes might help law enforcement prevent many future victims, the FBI said.

Sextortion convictions can bring up to a life prison sentence.

The FBI said it received more than 18,000 sextortion-related complaints in 2021, with victims’ losses of more than $13.6 million.

To report sextortion, contact the local FBI field office via contact information found at www.fbi.gov, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or Cybertipline.org.

The Utah Legislature passed two bills in its general session this year aimed at punishing sextortionists. Senate Bill 156 expands the definition and circumstances of sexual extortion to include the extortion of items of value. Senate Bill 167 adds a more severe crime to the state code, aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.

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