The FBI and the NCAA announce a new collaboration aimed at helping college athletes prevent sexual exploitation connected to the online targeting of private images. The program, unveiled by the FBI, responds to a growing pattern in which bad actors seek out athletes’ personal content and then use it to exploit or coerce victims.
According to the FBI, perpetrators commonly use phishing tactics and try to obtain credentials through password and PIN targeting. The FBI also says some scammers impersonate social media “customer service” representatives and use urgent messages to pressure athletes into resetting passwords, which can lead to account compromise. The NCAA partnership is presented as a way to address the issue as athletes increasingly promote themselves through name, image and likeness (NIL) activities.
Outlets agree the initiative is designed to reduce athletes’ vulnerability by improving awareness and prevention around online threats. The Yahoo Sports report adds that greater public exposure through social media followings and NIL work can increase both the likelihood of targeting and the leverage offenders believe they have.
