'Financial Sextortion' Of Teens On The Rise In Delaware County: DA

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — Authorities are warning parents and residents of Delaware County and the surrounding area that crimes of "financial sextortion" involving teenagers are on the rise.

The Delaware County District Attorney's Office released a statement this week urging parents to talk to their children about the worrisome trend.

These increasingly common crimes involve criminals blackmailing or otherwise forcing minors to create sexual content of themselves, sometimes in exchange for money or other favors.

"Sadly, reports of sextortion are on the rise in Delaware County and throughout the country," the DA's Office said this week. "Don't let your children become victims - talk to them about the risks of sextortion."

In one particularly notable recent case that impacted Montgomery County and the nearby area, a California man pretended to be a fitness guru online in order to pressure young female clients to partake in what he called a "sex slave training program," the FBI said.

See related: FBI Seeking More Victims Of Fake Fitness Guru They Say Raped Montco Teens

The "training" involved having the children watch violent pornography, create porn of themselves and send it to him, create online dating profiles that ultimately became advertisements for prostitution, and more, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Officials with the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force say that preventing these crimes starts with education from parents.

"Our message is about a conversation," the coalition says. "A conversation that highlights the good, and the not so good and dangerous aspects of technology use. We strongly urge all parents and guardians, educators, and child protection professionals to #StartTheConversation about technology safety."

Resources and educational materials on preventing sextortion and similar online crimes are available at ICACTF's website here.