The National Police have arrested four minors aged 16, residents of Santurtzi, in Bilbao, accused of sextorting a teenager from Zaragoza. The arrested individuals contacted the victim through Instagram, posing as a 17-year-old girl to gain their trust. The investigation, initiated months ago in Zaragoza, was carried out by the Organized Crime Group of the Basque Country Police Headquarters in collaboration with the Technological Crimes Group of Zaragoza. The detainees are charged with crimes of corruption of minors and disclosure of secrets.
The digital deception: how the sextortion network operated 🕵️
The minors used social engineering techniques to create a fake profile on Instagram, presenting themselves as a 17-year-old girl. After starting a conversation with the victim, they managed to obtain intimate material which they then used to extort him. The collaboration between the technological groups of Zaragoza and the Basque Country allowed them to trace the IPs and cross-reference data from the accounts used. Authorities highlight the difficulty of investigating these cases when those involved are minors, as they require specific protocols and judicial authorizations adapted to the age of the detainees.
Minors with a trade: the business plan that doesn't trade on the stock exchange 💼
Four teenagers from Santurtzi have shown that age is not an impediment to setting up a digital business, although their business plan includes extortion and identity theft. Everything suggests they studied the market: they chose a boy from Zaragoza, designed a convincing lure, and applied psychological pressure techniques. Perhaps their next step will be a course in business ethics, although for now they are guaranteed a period of reflection in a juvenile detention center. Youth entrepreneurship has these risks.