Online exploitation

Whenever you use the internet, it’s important to be aware of the danger of being exploited.

You might think that it is only an issue for children, but adults can also be affected. Vulnerable adults, such as someone with a physical disability or mental health problem, are particularly at risk.

Social media, online gaming and internet chatrooms make it possible for someone to contact you with a view to grooming you to do something for them.

One of the ways you can be exploited is radicalisation. This is when you are encouraged to support extreme beliefs, such as racial hatred, or terrorist activity. You start to believe in those views and trust the people who are radicalising you, even though the information they give you is very one-sided. This can result in you supporting violent acts or becoming involved in violence yourself.

Other forms of grooming include being persuaded to take part 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.

Romance fraud is an increasing issue. This happens when someone uses a fake profile on an online dating website or app and starts a relationship with you. Once they have gained your trust, they will ask you for large sums of money – they could invent a story such as having an ill relative who they need to pay for treatment for.

What are the signs?

You might feel like you can completely trust the people who are actually exploiting you and this makes it difficult for you to see what is happening to you. You might be unwilling to listen if someone expresses concern about you and become secretive about what you are doing, or agitated and angry.

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

Cut yourself off from family and friends
Express 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
Warn you not to tell anyone about your conversations with them
Start asking if you are in a relationship, or about your sexual activity
Send you sexual images and ask you to send pictures of yourself in return

If you use online dating, you should look out for signs of romance fraud. These might include the other person:

Declaring their love for you quickly
Trying to move your conversations off the platform you met on and onto email, text or phone
Asking for financial help – they might say it is a time-critical emergency and get defensive if you decline to help
Using a profile picture that is too perfect. You can reverse image search a photo to check that it hasn’t been taken from somewhere else on the internet
Asking you to keep the relationship private and not to discuss anything with your friends or family

What could happen?

This depends on how you have been exploited.

If you have been radicalised, you might be persuaded to do something illegal, such as taking part in violence or causing damage to property. This could lead to you being arrested and getting a criminal record, which could affect your employment, housing and ability to travel to some countries.

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.

Victims of romance fraud can lose thousands of pounds and feel a sense of shame and embarrassment at being tricked.

Staying safe online

There are steps you can take which 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 or date of birth
Before you post something online, take a moment to think – if it is something you wouldn’t want your parents or carers, or 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

If you use online dating and someone has asked you for money, take a moment to stop and think before you send anything, even if they are saying it is an emergency. Don’t let them rush or panic you and think about whether the person you are speaking to might not actually be who they say they are – if in doubt ask someone else’s opinion.

It’s easy to spend a long time looking at social media or gaming, so it’s really important to be physically active as well. Spend some time outdoors – going for a walk or a bike ride is great exercise. Getting involved in a local sports club is also a good way to meet new people and improve your mental health. If you’re not sure where to start, try the Everymove activity finder.

MAP is a youth charity in Norfolk which gives advice and support to young people aged 11 to 25. MAP also run a range of groups and activities in Norfolk – find out more here.

If someone online is encouraging you to follow certain political or religious views, always be open to different opinions. Remember that people with extreme views will not give you the other side of the story, so try to stay open minded to other viewpoints.