ARTIFICIAL REALITIES
A SEXTORTION support charity is urging Jersey’s government to fund support for victims of intimate-image abuse, warning that artificial intelligence is “compounding” the harm caused by such scams.
The call from the UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline comes after the States of Jersey Police confirmed to the JEP that there had been eight formal reports of sextortion made to them so far this year – with half of the victims being under-18s or very young adults.
Intimate-image abuse involves creating, sharing or threatening to share sexual or private images of someone without their consent, while sextortion refers to blackmail where offenders threaten to release such material unless the victim pays.
The helpline, which supports victims of intimate-image abuse, said it would “strongly encourage government to put direct support in place for victims and survivors, to give advice and help with the removal of images shared online”.
Last week, a major review into online harms found that there were no clear rules forcing platforms to remove illegal or harmful material and called for stronger “guardrails” to ensure the safe and ethical use of AI.
The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel’s review also highlighted survey data showing that some young people were “hesitant to report experiences of exploitation” and called on the government to develop a simple, child-friendly system for flagging harmful online content.
Responding, Jersey Ministers said they recognised the need for “clearer protections against harmful online content” and pointed to work underway to create new offences covering intimate-image abuse, stalking and harassment.
The JEP’s ‘Artificial Realities’ series last week uncovered how any image can be turned into pornography using cheap online “nudify” apps that use AI to create fake sexual images known as ‘deepfakes’ – an investigation which prompted Victoria College to update its PSHE curriculum, as reported on Saturday.
As part of the investigation, officers revealed to the JEP that they had received reports of “apps being used to create deepfake imagery”, including examples where people’s faces were swapped onto other bodies or made to appear undressed.
Guernsey police also recently warned that AI-generated sexual imagery being used as a form of blackmail had become rife, with young men and boys most frequently targeted.
Jersey Ministers have already pledged to introduce new laws banning the creation or sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes – a move “welcomed” by The Revenge Porn Helpline.
Helpline manager Sophie Mortimer added: “The sharing of intimate images without consent is a devastating form of abuse that predominantly affects women, and the development of AI technologies to create this content is extending and compounding the abuse.
“While the Revenge Porn Helpline is not currently funded to offer support in Jersey, we would welcome dialogue with the Government of Jersey to make our service available.”
Jersey Action Against Rape described sextortion scams involving AI as “deeply concerning and an emerging form of sexual abuse”.
Chief executive Tracey Le Brocq said: “At JAAR, we are seeing how advances in AI are being misused to create, manipulate, or threaten to share explicit images without consent.
“Even when those images are artificially generated, the impact on victims is very real – causing shame, fear, and significant emotional trauma.”
“This kind of abuse is not about technology – it’s about control, humiliation, and exploitation. It violates personal boundaries, erodes trust, and can leave lasting psychological scars,” she added.
While AI tools have changed the nature of the threat, sextortion itself is not new.
In 2015, nine men across the Channel Islands reported falling victim to similar scams – six in Jersey and three in Guernsey.
Detective Chief Inspector Alison Fossey said at the time that victims – often young men –were often contacted on Facebook and persuaded to perform sexual acts online before being blackmailed.
Advice and support
- Avoid responding to or paying perpetrators.
- Keep records of any messages, images, or threats, including using platforms such as Kulpa.
- Report incidents to the States of Jersey Police, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and, where possible, to the platform involved.
- Contact JAAR on 01534 482800 for emotional and practical support or visit revengepornhelpline.org.uk
