Extortion Through Social Media.

Puerto Vallarta has seen an increase in digital extortion since 2022. The municipal crime prevention units in Puerto Vallarta have discovered, through digital tools, various cases of extortion in all its forms, alerting to the use of technology by minors, as well as the professionalization of criminals and the use of technological tools to commit this crime. It was reported that from January 2023 to August of the same year, the incidence of cybercrimes and digital extortion cases occurred more frequently.

Also known as "Financial Sextortion," this crime is developed through social media and digital platforms to target communities. There, predatory criminals stalk innocent children and young people with highly sophisticated specialized social engineering tactics. They deceive children by pretending to be uncles and relatives to manipulate and achieve their goals.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of META, faced the US Senate where he apologized for the harm that social media has done to American families. In that hearing, representatives from other platforms confronted the complex situation on the other side of the coin of Social Networks. There is a lot of pornography, there is a lot of sensitive material that minors should not have such easy access to. However, nothing is enough for those who have unfortunately already suffered attacks from "Financial Sextortioners." It is known that it is precisely minors who are exposed to being deceived, given their little experience in these cases and their long-term presence on social networks and internet usage, which distances them from the reality outside the cloud.

To confront cyber technology operated by criminals, it is recommended that parents have direct communication with their children and inform them about these types of crimes, as well as teach them about the risks they face when using such technologies, where their information is at the mercy of third parties and can be used for fraudulent purposes.