The FBI announced on Thursday the results from a years-long international anti-sextortion operation spearheaded by the bureau that led to the arrest and extradition of 22 Nigerian nationals.
The effort, known as ‘Operation Artemis’, consisted of a conjoined effort between law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom to combat the growing global crisis around sextortion.
An Overview of Operation Artemis
Operation Artemis was launched in response to the uptick in sextortion seen by the FBI in recent years. From last October to this March, the FBI’s IC3 reported a 30% increase in sextortion reports, a figure that increased by 20,000 from 2023 to 2024.
Of the 22 men that were arrested, approximately half were directly linked to cases where the victim chose to take their own life. The operation looks to send a clear message to perpetrators of this crime, which has been the confirmed cause of over 20 deaths in the last three years.
“Operation Artemis exemplifies the FBI’s never-ending mission to protect our most vulnerable, and to pursue the heinous criminals harming our children, no matter where they hide,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This operation highlights the critical need for international cooperation to address this growing threat, and it’s a fight we can’t take on without our valued partners across the globe. We hope this message encourages parents and guardians to continue to educate their children about online safety and serves as a reminder of the FBI’s relentless pursuit of keeping our children safe(1).”
Next Steps in the Fight Against Sextortion
Operation Artemis is a huge step in the right direction toward a necessary global collaboration to combat the rising crime of sextortion. The 22 arrests made marks the highest of any operation of this kind, demonstrating to one of the world’s main sextortion ring hotspots that these despicable acts will not be tolerated.
Throughout the operation, 55 FBI field houses identified roughly 3,000 victims of financial sextortion and found a commonality of perpetrators residing in Nigeria(1). This finding illustrates the issue of cybercriminals attacking their victims from overseas and the need for seamless international cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
Back in February of 2023, the FBI and its international law enforcement partners issued a public warning on the explosion in cases of minor sextortion after receiving over 7,000 reports the previous year. Two years later, that number is nearly eight times higher and continuing to grow exponentially.
Over that span, the FBI reports that roughly $65 million has been lost to sextortion. The data shows that the main demographic targeted in this crime is males in the age range of 14-17, but sextortion can happen to anyone of any age, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Sextortionists are increasingly targeting minors through online gaming. In a recent study, Digital Forensics Corp found gaming platforms to be the fourth-highest reported entry point for sextortionists(2), and the FBI warns parents that they may be unintentionally leaving their children exposed.
“What’s happening is, you’re finding that parents are giving their kids phones at young ages. We are finding victims as young as 7 years old,” said FBI special agent Kevin Haufman “They’re either giving them tablets or they’re giving them iPads or they’re giving them phones, and they’re giving them access to applications on the internet(3).”
In addition to the efforts of law enforcement, a universal effort on the part of all internet users needs to be made to educate themselves and spread awareness of this expanding crime and other similar cyber threats. You can learn more about the realm of cybercrime and safe online practices by reading the educational material offered by DFC.
Sources:
- FBI Surges Resources to Nigeria to Combat Financially Motivated Sextortion — FBI
- DFC Sextortion Report March 2025
- Inside the FBI Podcast: Sextortion — FBI
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