Artificial intelligence (AI) is giving online criminals a new way to carry out sexual extortion (sextortion), with victims potentially facing threats involving convincing fake intimate images even when they have never created or shared such material.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) which issued a public advisory on sextortion, described the crime as a form of online blackmail in which perpetrators threaten to release intimate images or videos unless victims pay money, provide additional material or meet other demands.

The warning comes as Nigerians increasingly conduct personal relationships and conversations through social media, messaging services, dating platforms and online games: environments that can also provide opportunities for criminals to establish contact with potential victims. The emergence of AI-generated and manipulated content has added a new dimension to the threat.

Criminals, the tech agency warned, can now create convincing fake explicit images of people without necessarily possessing an authentic intimate photograph of the victim. A person could therefore find themselves facing an apparently credible sexual-extortion threat despite never having taken or shared the material being used against them.

AI changing sextortion threat

Criminals, the tech agency warned, can now create convincing fake explicit images of people without necessarily possessing an authentic intimate photograph of the victim. A person could therefore find themselves facing an apparently credible sexual-extortion threat despite never having taken or shared the material being used against them.

That possibility changes the traditional understanding of sextortion, where the perpetrator typically obtains genuine intimate material before threatening to expose it.

AI-generated imagery can potentially remove that requirement.

The technology allows criminals to manipulate or synthesise images in ways that can make fabricated material appear convincing enough to create fear, embarrassment or pressure, particularly when the target believes that friends, family members, colleagues or the wider public might see it.

Sextortion can affect children, teenagers and adults, making the threat broader than any particular age group or online community, according to the agency, which also warned against assuming that paying a perpetrator or complying with a demand will bring the situation to an end.

“Once a perpetrator gets or creates an intimate image, giving in to their demands often does not stop the threat,” NITDA said.

Instead, compliance can lead to further demands for money or additional intimate material, potentially turning a single incident into continuing blackmail.

The consequences can extend beyond financial loss. Victims may experience emotional distress, reputational concerns and significant disruption to their personal lives.

For children and teenagers, the situation can be particularly difficult because fear and shame may discourage them from telling parents, guardians, teachers or other trusted adults.

NITDA’s warning is therefore also a call for earlier intervention. Silence can leave perpetrators with greater opportunity to continue making demands, while reporting can help preserve evidence and trigger intervention by platforms and law-enforcement authorities.

For Nigerians who encounter sextortion, NITDA advises against paying the perpetrator or sending additional intimate images.

Instead, victims should preserve evidence before blocking the offender. This can include screenshots of messages, usernames, account information and payment demands.

Once the evidence has been secured, victims should stop communicating with the perpetrator, report the offending account and content to the relevant platform, and report the incident to the Nigeria Police Force Cybercrime Unit.

For Nigerians navigating social media, dating platforms, messaging services and online communities, the practical message from NITDA is straightforward: treat intimate material as high-risk information, be cautious about who receives it, and do not negotiate with someone using sexual threats.

The evidence can be particularly important because online accounts and messages may disappear, while details such as usernames, payment requests and communication records can help establish what happened.

The agency’s advice also places renewed emphasis on caution before intimate material is shared online.

NITDA recommends that Nigerians avoid sending intimate images or videos through digital channels, including in conversations with people they believe they know or trust.

The warning reflects a basic problem with online identity: a person may not always know who is operating an account or what happens to material after it leaves their device.

A private message can be copied, forwarded, stored or manipulated. In the AI era, even the absence of an authentic photograph may no longer prevent someone from fabricating apparently explicit material. That makes digital caution increasingly important.

The challenge is not simply that AI can generate realistic content. It is that synthetic content can be used as a tool of intimidation even when its underlying claim is false.

A victim confronted with a fabricated image may still experience genuine fear about what others will believe.

For parents and guardians, the warning also reinforces the need to make conversations about online safety less taboo. Children and teenagers who understand that they can seek help without being blamed may be more likely to report threats early.

For adults, the same principle applies: embarrassment should not become a reason to remain isolated when someone is using intimate or fabricated material to demand money or other forms of compliance.

NITDA’s advisory points to a broader shift in the digital safety landscape. AI is not only creating new opportunities for productivity, communication and creativity; it is also giving criminals additional tools for impersonation, manipulation and abuse.

Sextortion is consequently becoming a digital-security issue that cannot be addressed solely by asking people to protect their passwords or avoid suspicious links.

It also requires greater awareness of how images can be manipulated, how online identities can be concealed and how quickly seemingly private material can become part of an extortion attempt.

For Nigerians navigating social media, dating platforms, messaging services and online communities, the practical message from NITDA is straightforward: treat intimate material as high-risk information, be cautious about who receives it, and do not negotiate with someone using sexual threats.

If a threat does occur, preserving evidence, cutting off communication, reporting the account and seeking law-enforcement assistance are more useful steps than paying in the hope that the demands will disappear.

In an age when an image can be manufactured as easily as it can be shared, the safest assumption is no longer simply that private images can be exposed.

It is that convincing images can also be fabricated, and that citizens need to know how to respond when they are used against them.