ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg Police Department sent out a message Monday warning about an increase in online sexting extortion crimes.
According to St. Pete Police, detectives have noticed an upward trend in these types of cases, in which the victim is manipulated into sending nude photos of themselves to fake romantic partners.
The so-called partners will then threaten to post their photos publicly unless the victims send them money. These partners are typically met through dating apps and will engage in romantic exchanges until they eventually encourage the victim to send nude photos.
From January 1 to June 1, police said they have investigated 34 cases involving both minors and adults—twice the number reported last year during the same time.
Police also clarified that these cases are different from "revenge porn" since most cases don't involve an in-person relationship and the online partner is a scammer.
