Hidden dangers of swiping right

The Australian research that examined the rise in these abhorrent cases is nothing short of shocking.

Researchers have identified men who target single parents on dating apps to access their children, along with others who prowl social media and dating apps to meet women and children with sickening premeditated agendas.

Experts say tech companies are failing to keep users safe and are providing a platform for pedophiles to meet kids

Perth man Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed, 29, was jailed for 17 years in August last year in what authorities described as one of the worst sextortion cases in history.

Rasheed blackmailed 286 young adults and children from 20 different countries, including 186 children aged under 16.

His offending came to the attention of Australian Federal Police (AFP) who were tipped off about his Instagram use by the US Department of Homeland Security and Interpol in June 2019.

Rasheed pretended to be a 15-year old international YouTube star to befriend children and young adults on Instagram. He then sexually abused them from the bedroom of his family home.

He repeatedly encouraged and threatened his victims to respond to questions about his sexual fantasies, then gained control of his victims using threats.

Rasheed demanded explicit images and videos that involved sexual acts with friends, siblings, family pets and objects that were recorded or broadcast live to other adults on the internet he invited to watch.

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation Detective Inspector Kurt Wesche said Rasheed was one of the most prolific online sex offenders they had identified in Australia.

In 2023, Australian Federal Police responded to about 300 reports of sextortion a month. This has now dropped to 100 cases a month.

Inspector Wesche said authorities had shut down 1800 financial accounts li...
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