Swipe Safe Over Break: Recognizing and Preventing Online Sexual Scams

Sextortion. Nonconsensual image sharing. Catfishing. 

College students are at significant risk for online sexual exploitation — and this includes students at Christian universities. In recent years, reports of financial sextortion targeting college-age men have risen dramatically, and women continue to be heavily affected by image abuse and coercion. 

As followers of Christ, we affirm that every person is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Your body, your sexuality, and your dignity matter. Online predators exploit loneliness, curiosity, romantic desire, and vulnerability. Awareness is one way we practice wisdom (Proverbs 4:23). 

Understanding the Terms 

Online Sextortion 

Online sextortion occurs when someone obtains — or claims to have — intimate images or videos of you and threatens to distribute them unless you: 

1. Send money (often via gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency)  
2. Send additional explicit content 

Perpetrators frequently threaten to send images to your family, friends, classmates, or professors or to post them publicly. 

Recent trends show: 

• Many victims are college-age men contacted through Instagram, Snapchat, dating apps, or gaming platforms. 
• Scammers often move conversations quickly to private messaging apps. 
• Some use AI-generated or manipulated images to intensify threats … even if no real image was sent. 
• These crimes are about control, shame, and financial exploitation, not romance. 

Nonconsensual Intimate Image-Sharing (Sometimes Called “Revenge Porn”) 

This involves sharing private, intimate images without the subject’s consent. It often occurs after a breakup but can also happen through hacking or image theft. 

Victims are frequently women, but anyone can be targeted. Many states now have laws criminalizing this behavior. 

Catfishing 

Catfishing involves creating fake online identities to build trust and emotional connection. The goal may be: 

• Financial fraud 
• Sextortion 
• Identity theft 
• Sexual exploitation 

Red flags include “too good to be true” profiles, fast emotional intensity, and reluctance to video chat live. 

Think Before You Click “Send” 

As a Christian community, we affirm sexual integrity as part of honoring Christ with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). If you are tempted to send an image or engage in sexualized digital communication, pause and ask: 

• What am I hoping to gain from this? 
• Am I seeking validation, attention, or emotional closeness in a way that could compromise my safety or convictions? 
• Do I feel pressured to do this to keep someone’s interest? 
• Would I feel peace if this content was made public? 
• How will this affect the sexual dignity God has given me to steward?

Even if trust feels real, digital content can be copied, saved, altered, or distributed without your knowledge. Once the content has been sent, you lose control over it. 

Wisdom sometimes means stepping away from conversations that stir temptation or blur boundaries. 

Clues a Situation May Be a Sexual Scam

Be cautious if someone: 

• Asks to move quickly from a public platform to private messaging (Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.) 
• Requests personal information (full name, phone number, address, school, family details) 
• Expresses intense romantic or sexual interest very quickly 
• Has limited photos or photos that look professionally staged or model-like 
• Refuses to video chat live or makes excuses for why they can’t 
• Tells inconsistent or dramatic life stories 
• Claims to be in the U.S. but currently working overseas (military, oil rig, international contractor, etc.) 
• Pressures you for risqué photos or intimate conversations
• Immediately threatens exposure after receiving (or pretending to receive) an image 

Remember: Scammers rely on panic. Urgency is their weapon. 

If You Become a Victim 

If someone threatens you: 

• Do not pay. Payment rarely stops the threats and often increases demands. 
• Stop responding. Do not negotiate. 
• Preserve evidence. Screenshot usernames, messages, payment demands, and profiles. 
• Report and block the account. 
• Tell someone immediately. Shame grows in secrecy. Reach out to Campus Safety, Student Life, a trusted faculty member, a pastor, or a counselor. 

You can also report to:

• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): ic3.gov 
• FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI 
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (if under 18): cybertipline.org 

If images are shared online, many platforms have procedures to remove nonconsensual intimate images. 

A Word to Our Students 

If you are struggling with temptation, loneliness, pornography, or risky online behavior, you are not alone — and you are not beyond grace. Our goal is not shame but restoration and wisdom. Scripture calls us to flee sexual immorality not because God withholds good, but because He protects what is sacred (1 Thessalonians 4:3–5). 

If you have already made a mistake, seek help quickly. Silence gives predators power. Confession and community bring protection. 

You bear God’s image. 

Your dignity is not for sale. 

Your worth is not determined by a scammer’s threat. 

Think before you click. Walk in wisdom. Reach out if you need help.