Current threats around the Monetisation of Child Sexual Abuse Material, 14 May 2026
Our workshop provides a contemporary snapshot of threats and trends around the monetisation of Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM).
It is a multi-million-pound industry that is growing exponentially with criminals increasingly exploiting technology to generate, sell and profit from the abuse of children. Reports have indicated an alarming rise in cryptocurrency-based transactions.
This is a growing threat that is proving a constant challenge for investigators and is putting children at risk.
The workshop will be led by dedicated team from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) which has for the past 30 years been at the forefront of the global efforts to stop and prevent online child sexual abuse. It will provide a unique insight into the current threat picture that will help inform the operational work of investigators and analysts working in online CSAE roles.
Hotline
We’ll hear from Ngaire Alexander. Head of the Internet Watch Foundation hotline, who has previously worked as a Detective Inspector in a UK police force where she specialised in investigating CSAM offences. She has also worked for the Child Rescue Coalition.
The IWF hotline is uniquely positioned to search for, report, track, and facilitate the removal of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.
Commercial CSAM Team
We will also hear from the Commercial CSAM Team from within the hotline who focus on identifying, tracking, and disrupting the use of virtual currencies and other payment types used to monetise and purchase child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.
They will provide a unique insight into the current threat picture based on the findings from their work.
Outline of the day
The day will start with an introduction to the work of the Internet Watch Foundation and a look at the valuable work of the hotline.
It will then focus on the current ways in which criminals are engaged in the monetisation of CSAM, which will include:
Direct sale - Dark and Clear web
The role of cryptocurrency
A look at how the IWF identifies cryptocurrency sites
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Most used currencies
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IWF Virtual Currency Alerts
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How the IWF Works with members and law enforcement
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Crypto requests.
Credit cards
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Where does the IWF see it offered?
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Payment brand alerts - this means they are notified when the IWF sees their brand being abused to facilitate the sale of CSAM
Other Money Transfer options
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Use of Gift cards and third party sites
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Direct sale via messaging apps.
Invitational Child Abuse Pyramid (ICAP) sites
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Background and overview.
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What they are and where they are found
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How they operate
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Tier access
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Payment options.
Commercial Chinese language sites
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Subscriptions
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Crypto payments
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Money transfer including Alipay, WeChat
Premium File Hosting (one off and subscription) and Affiliate links
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Background and overview
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A look at what they are and where they are found
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Self-gen CSAM on forums and links to premium subscription only file hosting sites
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Premium threads
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Affiliate payments
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Pay-out methods.
Crypto currency donations
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QR Codes
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YouTube hidden password videos
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Views and engagement
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Sextortion Guides that offer bespoke training courses
CSAM adjacent commercialisation:
Coerced and Financial Extortion
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A look at the difference between two types of extortion
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Report Remove extortion reports (Financial)
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Online marketplaces selling coerced material (Coerced)
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Indexed by abuser name
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Payment methods
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Hacking service
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Membership points for personal information
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Leaked sites and “wins”
Current trends in AI
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Selling AI sets of Police confirmed victims
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Generate new images of Police confirmed victims
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Packs of AI generated children
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Chat bots with children.
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The growth in AI online courses that are being offered on how to create CSAM AI imagery for payment.
Future threat predictions
Held online via Teams
Certificates of CPD available
HOW TO BOOK
Cost: £205 + VAT (GBP) per delegate per workshop (LEA and Government Agency rate). £249.50 + VAT (Industry rate), per delegate per workshop
Group bookings: We offer various discounts for group bookings depending on numbers, please contact us for details.
Student discount: We offer a 35% discount on all of our online events/workshops on condition of payment by card and a valid University email address.
Booking: Please send the delegates name(s), email address(es) and purchase order (made out to The Investigator) to booking@the-investigator.co.uk or telephone +44(0)844 660 8707 for further information.
Payment can be made by PayPal/debit/credit card. The meeting link will be sent out 7 days before the event.