Is It A Scam? Teen Sextortion Scam Diagnostic - For Parents

Your Privacy Is Protected

We never see your identity

Your answers are processed in your browser. Only you see any identifying information about you. Nothing about you or your child is stored.

De-identified data supports research

With your permission and your identity removed, your de-identified answers are sent to the SCARS Institute for scientific research only. Data is never shared with third parties.

Save your work and return later

You have the option to save your work and return later as you wish. Each finished section is saved to the SCARS Institute under a resume code, without your identity. Your resume code is the only way to bring your answers back, so keep it somewhere safe and treat it like a password.

The SCARS Institute provides this diagnostic to help parents recognize the warning signs that a child is being pressured, threatened, or extorted online. You can save your result to share with a trusted person, a counselor, or law enforcement.

I give my consent for my fully de-identified assessment data to be used for research purposes only. I understand that all personal identifiers have been removed from my responses, this information will not be shared with any third parties, and my participation is completely voluntary.

Start or Continue

Twenty-five Yes-or-No questions in five sections. Most people finish in ten minutes. If you need to stop, your answers are saved at the end of each section under a resume code.

Start the diagnostic

You will receive a resume code so you can stop and return on any device.

Enter a resume code

Pick up where you stopped, or bring back a finished result from the past 90 days.

Before You Begin

This diagnostic helps you look at the signs you have observed in your child and decide whether they point to sextortion or online extortion. In these crimes, a stranger online, often posing as a young person or a romantic interest, gains a child’s trust, obtains private images, and then threatens to share them unless the child pays or sends more. Children rarely tell their parents, because they are frightened and ashamed. The signs show up instead in behavior, mood, and money.

These signs have many causes. Secrecy, withdrawal, and mood changes also come from bullying, depression, friendship troubles, or ordinary growing up. This diagnostic looks at the complete pattern, not any single sign. Whatever your result, a calm, caring conversation with your child is the right next step.

Answer privately. Do not ask your child to help you answer, and do not confront them while you are answering. If a concern appears, the conversation comes after, calmly.

Answer Yes when you have observed the sign, even if your child gave an explanation.
Answer No when you have not observed it.

The result is an Exploitation Risk Index from 0% to 100%. It measures how closely what you have observed matches the recognized pattern of this crime. It is not a judgment of your child or of your parenting.

Please Note. This diagnostic was developed by the SCARS Institute from its work with tens of thousands of scam victims. It is a screening tool for parents, not a psychological assessment and not legal advice. A high score identifies a probable crime in progress. A low score does not rule out that something is wrong, and any sign of danger to your child calls for immediate action.

Why this matters

Answer Yes or No to continue

IS IT A SCAM?