Deepfake sextortion on the rise

Criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create sexualized deepfake images of young people for sextortion purposes, according to a CTV News report examining the growing threat to children's safety. The segment addresses how offenders can manipulate benign images of minors into realistic fabricated sexual content, then use that material to extort victims, a tactic that lowers the barrier to initiating sextortion and expands the pool of potential targets beyond those who have voluntarily shared intimate images.

AI-generated deepfake sextortion represents a new vector that conventional content-scanning alone cannot fully address, because the coercive threat exists regardless of whether the fabricated image was ever transmitted via the platform being monitored. Guardii's AI-driven detection of CSAM including deepfakes operates in parallel with its anti-sextortion capability, which identifies the extortion attempt itself through conversational cues such as threats to distribute imagery, demands for money or further content, and acute distress signals from the target. By analyzing the pattern of coercion rather than relying solely on image hashes, the platform flags deepfake-enabled sextortion even when the fabricated material was produced externally, providing a layer of protection adapted to the operational reality that offenders now generate leverage without requiring the victim's initial participation.