A national public alert has since been released by the FBI on Monday, in collaboration with the Justice Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and several other agencies in response to what an FBI official called a “staggering increase” in cases – 7,000 reports last year alone, according to the agencies. According to a Justice Department official, such reports led to at least 3,000 victims and more than a dozen suicides that were apparently connected to them. 

A majority of offenders are based in West Africa, mainly from Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. The victims are mostly male, as per the alert. 

The modus operandi of offenders included engaging with their victims via social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, meanwhile also luring them onto gaming platforms. 

Moreover, in a peculiar action taken by agencies, it was not announced how the individuals connected with the reports will be prosecuted. 

In regards to this, a Justice Department official stated, “when it comes to these types of prosecutions, they can be quite difficult, first and foremost with identification of offenders.” Online identities are challenging to validate. They could be easily fabricated, making it more difficult and time-consuming to link them back to the original owner, he furthermore added. 

The advisory was carefully scheduled to coincide with students and families getting ready for Christmas break, since "a lot of youngsters are going to be out of school at home, spending a lot of time online," the Justice Department official added.