Sextortion Stories

Australian Stories

Sextortion stories

Over one million students complete global cyber safety training

Over one million students worldwide have completed KnowBe4's cyber security training, boosting digital safety awareness for teens aged 16 and above.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Tue, 28th Oct 2025

Unified Communications

Australian telecoms unite against tech-facilitated abuse

Australian telecom leaders unite to tackle tech-facilitated abuse, reinforcing their commitment during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Mon, 25th Nov 2024

Global Stories

Sextortion stories

Data Protection

VORTIQ-X launches real-time child exploitation detector

Irish platforms may face fresh pressure to spot grooming earlier as a new system flags suspicious chats before abuse escalates.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Last week

Phishing

KnowBe4 launches free CAPY cyber safety hub for families

Families get short cyber safety lessons at home as deepfakes, grooming and scams put children and adults at growing risk online.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Last week

Ransomware

Stop framing deepfake harassment of women as a social problem - It's a cybersecurity problem

Non-consensual deepfake abuse of women is not just online harassment but cybercrime, demanding full threat intelligence and security action.

By Dr Megan Squire • 4 min read • Wed, 4th Mar 2026

Data Protection

Snap launches digital safety course for teenagers, parents

Snap unveils a 45-minute interactive digital safety course for teens and parents, plus expanded Snapchat arrival alerts to boost protection.

By Shannon Williams • 3 min read • Wed, 11th Feb 2026

Data Privacy

Snap debuts interactive digital safety course for teens

Snap launches an interactive course to teach teens and parents practical digital safety skills on bullying, sextortion and illicit drugs.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Tue, 10th Feb 2026

Phishing

KnowBe4 Student Edition marks one million trained in cyber safety

KnowBe4's Student Edition has trained one million students worldwide in cyber safety, enhancing online protection and campus security cultures.

By Jed Nykolle Harme • 3 min read • Tue, 28th Oct 2025

Malware

Stealerium malware surge prompts concern over new attack tactics

Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting open-source Stealerium malware to steal sensitive data, prompting warnings from Proofpoint researchers of new attack methods.

By Jed Nykolle Harme • 4 min read • Sat, 6th Sep 2025

Multi-factor authentication

AI & data breaches drive rise in sextortion scams

Sextortion scams are surging globally, with New Zealand reporting a staggering 137% increase in 2025, driven by AI and recent data breaches.

By Melania Watson • 2 min read • Wed, 26th Mar 2025

Social Media

Romance scams reach six-year high, Moody's reports

Moody's highlights a six-year high in romance scams, unveiling 1,193 new entities globally in 2024, with the US leading at 38% of cases.

By Shannon Williams • 3 min read • Thu, 13th Feb 2025

Malware

Sextortion scams surge with personal data to extort money

New Barracuda research reveals a surge in personalised sextortion attacks, where cybercriminals leverage victims' personal data for increased blackmail pressure.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Mon, 18th Nov 2024

Cybersecurity

New botnet uncovered known for sextortion and crypto-jacking

Check Point Research is warning of a new variant of Phorpiex, a botnet known for sextortion and crypto-jacking.

By Shannon Williams • 3 min read • Fri, 17th Dec 2021

Crypto

How an investigation into sextortion led to discovery of a criminal underworld

An investigation into sextortion by Sophos uncovered a criminal underworld where funds, totalling USD $500,000, supported a range of illicit activities.

By Staff Writer • 3 min read • Fri, 24th Apr 2020

Stories from Other Regions

Sextortion stories

Data Protection

Indonesia launches SHECURE Digital to protect women online

Indonesia has launched SHECURE Digital, a national programme to shield women and girls from online abuse, extortion and data exploitation.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 5 min read • Mon, 2nd Mar 2026

Multi-factor authentication

AI deepfake scams surge as New Zealand losses mount

AI-fuelled deepfake scams are surging in New Zealand, with losses topping NZD $5 million a quarter as fraudsters weaponise new tech.

By Sean Mitchell • 6 min read • Tue, 16th Dec 2025

Ransomware

Cyber scams soar in New Zealand as AI & crypto drive threats

Cyber scams in New Zealand have surged 77,721% amid rising AI use and crypto fraud, with sextortion and phishing attacks also sharply increasing in Q2 2025.

By Melania Watson • 4 min read • Thu, 31st Jul 2025