The FBI has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) technology has enabled “malicious actors” to take non-consenting people’s personal photos and videos and insert their likenesses into pornographic “deepfake” images in order to harass or “sextort” them.

Minor children and adults have had their images taken from their video chats, social media accounts, or the open internet and then incorporated into sexually explicit content through the aid of AI technology, the FBI wrote in a Monday announcement.

These images are then shared on social media and pornographic websites or are sometimes sent directly to victims’ families or social media contacts, unless the victims pay a ransom or agree to other actions, like supplying personal information or other real-life explicit images.

Some victims may not realize that they appear in these digitally manipulated images until someone else first sees them online. Even if victims comply with an extortionist’s demands, it can be difficult to completely remove these images from the internet. In fact, the images may be continually re-shared for years to come, newly embarrassing and re-victimizing people again and again — something that can result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and continued financial exploitation.