anonymous perpetrator, online stranger
Stranger perpetrators operate without existing personal relationships to their targets, often leveraging the anonymity and scale that digital platforms provide. This category includes financially motivated actors, opportunistic predators, and those seeking random targets for harassment or exploitation.
Research shows stranger perpetrators are particularly prominent in financial sextortion cases, with 47% of all sextortion reports linked to a country were linked to Nigeria or Cote d'Ivoire, where organized networks target victims internationally (Thorn & NCMEC, 2024). These perpetrators often use formulaic approaches and scripts, suggesting coordinated or professional operations rather than personal vendettas.
Stranger perpetrators may also include those engaged in "cold" solicitation - Thorn's research found that 40% of all minors have received unsolicited requests for explicit imagery from unknown individuals, with 1 in 7 (15%) reporting it as a weekly or daily occurrence (Thorn, 2022). The anonymity of online spaces allows these perpetrators to cast wide nets, targeting multiple potential victims with relatively low risk of identification.
Low to High - Ranges from opportunistic actors using basic social media features to sophisticated criminal networks employing advanced technical methods, social engineering, and coordinated infrastructure.