The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has launched a fast-paced, interactive experience No Escape Room - to help parents understand sextortion, and the fear that a growing number of teen victims. 
The Bothell Police Department encourages parents to check out the No Escape Room, and learn more about why NCMEC just launched this powerful learning tool.
It can help parents quickly understand sextortion, so they can have meaningful conversations with their children, and prevent their children from falling victim.
In 2023 , NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 36.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. Between 2021 and 2023, online enticement reports increased more than 300%.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security is also tracking the alarming rise in the crime and offers detailed FBI information about sextorion.
If you or a friend are the victim of financial sextortion, you are not alone. You are not to blame.
- If you need emergency help, call 911.
- You can also call your local police department's non-emergency number. If you are in Bothell, the non emergency number is 425.577-5656.
What To Do
If you or a friend have experienced sextortion, there are some steps you can take now to make things better.
- Remember, the blackmailer is to blame, not you. Even if you made a choice you regret, what they're doing is a crime.
- Get help before deciding whether to pay money or otherwise comply with the blackmailer. Cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail.
- REPORT the account via the platform’s safety feature.
- BLOCK the suspect but DO NOT DELETE your profile or messages because that can be helpful in stopping the blackmailer.
- Let NCMEC help get images of you down. Visit MissingKids.org/IsYourExplicitContentOutThere to learn how to notify companies yourself or visit cybertipline.org to report to us for help with the process.
- Visit Take It Down so NCMEC can help you get your explicit images removed from the internet. Having nudes online is scary, but there is hope to get them taken down.
- Ask for help. The problems can be very complex and require help from adults or professionals. If you don’t feel that you have adults in your corner, you can reach out to NCMEC for support at gethelp@ncmec.org or you can call us at 1-800-THE-LOST.