1 in 5 victims of ‘naked chat blackmail’ in Hong Kong are 11-year-old students

Students aged 11 and over in Hong Kong accounted for a fifth of victims of “naked chat blackmail” in the first half of this year, with police warning residents on Monday to be careful when meeting people online.

According to police, the crime typically involves scammers tricking victims into undressing during video calls and then threatening to distribute the nude photos and videos to extort money.

Criminals also used a “shotgun approach” to befriend their targets through social media platforms and employed various tactics to groom children for sexual exploitation while intimidating them into silence, police added.

According to police, a 13-year-old girl recently met a male friend online through social media. He eventually bonded with the girl under the guise of sharing study tips after chatting with her online multiple times.

“He later claimed he could offer her tutoring and arranged to meet her, after which he took her to a hotel and attempted to rape her,” police said on their website CyberDefender, an initiative to inform residents about online dangers.