Online exploitation

The internet can be fun and interesting, but it can also be used by people who want to exploit you. Their lifestyles are made to look appealing and glamourous when in reality they are dangerous and potentially criminal.

Not everyone you meet online is a threat, but it’s important to be aware of the dangers and how to stay safe online.

One of the ways you can be exploited is radicalisation. This is when you are led into a way of thinking by an extremist - someone who holds harmful political or religious views. For example, some groups target people from different ethnic backgrounds with hatred and violence. When you are radicalised, you can start to form strong opinions without having a proper understanding of the subject, because the information you are fed is very one-sided. It can lead to you being encouraged to take extreme action, such as causing damage or hurting someone.

Another danger to be aware of is grooming. This is where someone builds an online friendship with you and talks you into doing something for them. You can be groomed for radicalisation, or to be involved in County Lines or you could be talked into doing something sexual, such as sending nude pictures of yourself. With sexual grooming, the groomer can hide their real identity online and they will often pretend to be someone much younger, although you can also be groomed by someone you already know, such as a family friend.

You can also be a victim of fraud, where someone tricks you into handing over personal details, passwords or money. This can be done by scams on social media, with posts promising a reward or promoting a fake product. It could also be a text message, urging you to click on a suspicious link.

What are the signs?

Often, you don’t realise what is happening to you and you feel like you can trust the people who are actually exploiting you.

The signs to look out for can vary depending on how you are being exploited, but generally, you might feel more anxious or angry than usual and you might become secretive about what you are doing.

If you are being radicalised, you might be encouraged to:

Cut yourself off from family and friends
Repeat extreme views, as if you are reading from a script. This could include the views of terrorist groups, or talking negatively about cultures other than your own
Look up extreme material online
Use hate terms against certain groups of people
Write or create artwork promoting extreme messages

If you are being sexually groomed by someone, they might:

Send you lots of messages in different forms (for example, texts, social media messages or emails)
Tell you that they’ll be upset if you don’t do what they want
Trick you into telling them secret information about yourself, such as where you live or which school you go to
Warn you not to tell anyone about your conversations with them
Start asking if you are in a relationship, have you ever kissed someone or have you had sex
Send you sexual images and ask you to send pictures of yourself in return

What could happen to me?

This depends on how you have been exploited.

If you have been radicalised, you might be persuaded to do something illegal, such as hurting someone or causing damage to property. This could lead to you being arrested and getting a criminal record, which could have a serious effect on your future.

If you are the victim of fraud, criminals could gain enough information about you to obtain documents such as passports or driving licences, open bank accounts in your name, or steal money from you.

If you are sexually groomed online, you might be persuaded to meet the person who is grooming you and this could lead to you being sexually abused.

If you send a nude picture of yourself, you immediately lose control of the picture and it could be shared online, or used to blackmail you.

Grooming can have a very serious impact on your mental health and can cause anxiety and depression. It can also lead to problems such as self-harm, eating disorders and drug and alcohol use.

Staying safe online

There are steps you can take that will make it less likely that someone is able to exploit you online:

Think about who you are speaking to online – if you don’t know them, can you be sure they are who they say they are?
Never share personal details like your address, date of birth or school
Before you post something online, take a moment to think – if it is something you wouldn’t want your parents or carers, teachers or future employers to see, don’t post it
Protect yourself against hackers by keeping your information secure. Use strong passwords which are difficult to guess and set up two-factor authentication – this adds another layer of security to your password by asking for another piece of information

Be aware of phishing messages which are trying to steal your money or your identity by getting you to reveal personal information. It could be an email, text message, or a direct message on social media or online gaming. Things to look out for include:

Telling you to take urgent action
Messages from new senders, or senders marked [External]
Poor spelling and grammar
Messages starting with ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ rather than a personalised greeting
Check the email address of the sender – is it coming from the company they claim to be from, or is the company name in the email address spelt correctly?
If you suspect the message could be a scam, don’t click on any links it contains