COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina House has unanimously approved a bill that would increase penalties for the illegal online practice known as sextortion.
The final vote Wednesday was 113-0.
'Sextortion' is when someone entices another to send sexually explicit photos to them via text or social media. They then use those images to blackmail the victim. According to the FBI, more than 3,000 minors were targeted across the country in 2022.
The bill establishes a range of penalties for the practice. The most serious is a felony charge for adult violators that would sentence people up to 30 years in prison if the victim is a child or a vulnerable adult. Someone would get up to 15 years if the victim is an adult.
The bill had broad bipartisan support with over 30 sponsors.
One of the chief proponents of the measure was State Rep. Brandon Guffey, whose 17-year-old son Gavin committed suicide as a result of being targeted by sextortion.
Last December, the FBI issued a National Public Safety Alert because of an increase in cases of kids and teens in financial sextortion schemes.
“It's important to have conversations with families and children so that they understand the importance of social media, cyber hygiene, and the importance of protecting their online relationships," said Senior Supervisory Agent Joaquin Balaguer.
Balaguer added children between 10 to 17 are the most vulnerable. Balaguer said who is committing these crimes and where they are committing them is hard to track. He also said the crimes are underreported since children can be scared to come forward.
So far, 11 other states have this law on the books.