What Predicts Law Enforcement Reporting Among Male Sextortion Victims?

Sextortion is the threat to disseminate private sexual images or information unless the victim complies with certain demands. While sextortion is a growing cybercrime, limited research explores victim reporting behaviors, particularly among males. Using survey data from 222 male sextortion victims, this study examines factors predicting law enforcement reporting, focusing on crime characteristics, emotional distress, and disclosure to trusted individuals. Descriptive results indicate that most respondents report experiencing financial forms of sextortion. Results from a binary logistic regression indicate that paying a ransom and disclosing to a trusted person are significantly associated with a higher likelihood of also reporting to police. However, emotional distress showed a complex relationship with reporting where self-conscious emotions (e.g., guilt, shame, embarrassment) increased reporting likelihood, and depressed mood decreased the likelihood of reporting to police. Ultimately, understanding reporting behaviors can inform strategies to encourage help-seeking and improve law enforcement engagement with sextortion cases.