'90% OF VICTIMS ARE MALE'

Jordan Stephens tries to turn the tables on sextortion scammers in a new documentary as he hunts the people behind the fake profiles

- JEN PHARO

In Britain, sextortion is destroying young men’s lives and has been directly linked to the suicide of four teenagers. The crime sees scammers strike up an online relationship with their target before asking them to send nude photos. Once the scammer has the nude pics, the blackmail begins. Now Rizzle Kicks musician Jordan Stephens is determined to expose the heartless scammers — even if it means getting sextorted himself.

“In 2023, there were an average of 22 reports of sextortion a day,” says Jordan, 33. “Sextortion is now the most common form of internet image abuse in Britain.”

Sextortion scammers rely on their victims paying up to avoid the shame of their private photographs being circulated to their friends and families. Most victims of sextortion are young men and many are underage.

“This crime overwhelmingly targets young men. In fact, over 90% of reported victims are male,” says Jordan.