LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Social media and the internet allow people to connect and communicate around the world. However, it also opens the door for predators to extort Kentuckians.

Many Kentucky residents have fallen victim to sexual extortion, or "sextortion," but there currently aren't many legal penalties for predators. That's why Senate Bill 73 aims to make it a felony and educate Kentucky's children.

According to the FBI, sextortion can happen on any website, social media app, messaging platform or game where kids and adults meet or communicate. It's a nightmare one Louisville high school teacher couldn't wake up from in 2022.

"Text after text after text from various phone numbers demanding nude pictures," the woman's lawyer, Sara Collins said Wednesday.

Collins said her client got a message late one night from what she thought was Snapchat's support team. It asked the teacher to verify her password.

When she shared that information, hackers broke into her Snapchat account and downloaded an explicit video she'd taken privately. They then reached back out to demand she send more nude photos or else they'd share her video with the world.

"She was terrified and she called the police only to be told, 'We don't know what to do,'" Collin said. "As a teacher, she knew if these images got out, it would be the end of her career."

She's not alone. The FBI has seen thousands of victims, including kids and teenagers in Kentucky.

"We're giving cellphones to 7-, 8-, 9-year-old kids with full access to the internet," said Ricky Lynn, a detective with the Frankfort Police Department. "So now, the predators have access."

Lady Tee Thompson with The United Nations Association of the USA said it's a "gateway to human trafficking." 

"It is calculated," Kentucky State Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, said Wednesday. "It is cruel and it thrives on fear and silence. Kentucky is now standing up with Senate Bill 73 to say 'No more. Leave our kids alone.'"

If passed, the bill will make sexual extortion a felony in Kentucky and empower victims.

"... giving them clear legal remedies to seek justice and recover damages from those who have harmed them," Raque Adams said.

It would also require schools to educate students, starting in fourth grade, about the crime of sexual extortion and display posters with assistance for victims.

Raque Adams said she's hopeful the bill will pass because she's hearing positive feedback on both sides of the aisle.

"Everybody embraces the fact that Kentucky has to keep up with the changing times, with the changing technology, with the changing threats to our kids," she said.

Anyone being exploited is the victim of a crime and should report it. You can contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.

For more exploitation resources, click here.

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