The Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) issued recommendations to prevent sextortion and digital sexual extortion, a crime that consists of threatening to intimate content to pressure the victim into meeting certain demands. Through its Cyber Intelligence, Research and Technology Operations Unit, the agency explained that this type of fraud can include sexually explicit messages, private photographs, or video recordings obtained through deception or the exchange of content online. According to the SSPC, in many cases, cybercriminals demand money or seek to obtain additional material to continue the threats. To reduce the risks of sextortion, the agency recommended reinforcing digital security and paying special attention to the use of social networks and messaging applications. Among the main recommendations are: Maintaining an open dialogue with girls, boys, and adolescents about the risks on the internet. Correctly configuring privacy on social networks. Activating two-factor authentication on digital accounts. Using secure passwords and avoiding public Wi-Fi networks. Disabling geolocation before publishing content online. The SSPC also suggested avoiding automatic storage of received multimedia files and remembering that any publication can be saved or shared by third parties.
In case of being a victim of sextortion, the authorities recommended gathering evidence such as screenshots of messages, profiles, or bank data related to the aggressor, as well as blocking and reporting the accounts involved. Likewise, the agency indicated that any case of cyberbullying or extortion must be reported to the corresponding authorities.
