The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) are sounding the alarm on a rapidly growing and dangerous online threat: financially motivated sextortion targeting minors.

New data released by NCMEC reveals a staggering spike in these crimes. In 2025, the organization received more than 50,000 reports of financial sextortion—averaging roughly 137 reports every single day. This marks a massive increase from the 36,000 reports filed in 2024.

The national crisis is reflecting heavily at the state level. In Tennessee, a small, specialized team is currently overwhelmed by the volume of local cases.

“While the newly released numbers are deeply concerning, unfortunately, we are not at all surprised,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Burghardt, supervisor of the TBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Squad. “Currently, our four agents assigned to investigate these types of crimes are collectively trying to identify and locate more than 150 child victims of sextortion. Those are just the cases in the state of Tennessee assigned to TBI.”

Sextortion typically involves predators tricking or coercing children into sending explicit photos, then blackmailing them for money under the threat of exposing the images to family and friends. Because these crimes occur in secret, victims often suffer alone.

According to Burghardt, the emotional toll can be fatal. Predators frequently encourage their victims to commit suicide, and some children feel it is their only escape from the overwhelming blackmail.

Compounding the danger, NCMEC reports that offenders are adapting. Predators are moving conversations to private messaging and encrypted apps much faster than before, making the crimes significantly harder for law enforcement to detect.

The TBI stresses that proactive communication is the most effective weapon against these predators. Parents and caregivers are urged to talk to their children about the realities of sextortion before a crisis occurs.

Officials state that every child should be taught two critical rules if they find themselves targeted: Tell a trusted adult immediately and never pay or cooperate with a blackmailer.

Giving in rarely ends the abuse and almost always leads to further demands.