Four Corners Season 65, Episode 38: Blackmailed: The Sextortion Killers

1

Party Crashers

As a federal election looms, Four Corners returns for 2025 with reporter Angus Grigg examining whether our two-party system is collapsing. Independents and minor parties are set to capture more than a third of the vote and become the king makers in the new parliament. In a cost-of-living election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has plenty to worry about.

45 min

2

Endurance

With Donald Trump vowing to end the brutal war in Ukraine, Four Corners travels to the front line to investigate: Is peace even possible? As the war's third anniversary looms, Mark Willacy reports from the battlefield. This program contains coarse language and graphic footage of people being killed and injured in war.

47 min

3

Leaving Hate

Families call on governments to act as loved ones fall into extremism. Reporter Avani Dias investigates the growing threat of homegrown extremism, the painful reality of radicalisation and desperate calls for stronger action.

44 min

4

Trump: The Comeback King

The Comeback King explores Donald Trump's dramatic resurgence following his 2020 election defeat, examining the pivotal moments and strategies that propelled him back to the forefront as a dominant force in U.S. politics.

45 min

5

Tobacco Wars

Four Corners investigative journalist Dan Oakes uncovers the secrets of Australia's black-market tobacco trade, where arson attacks, extortion, and deadly feuds are used to control the illegal cigarette market.

45 min

6

Sacrifice

Four Corners reveals how the Australian War Memorial is increasingly entwined with the global arms industry - raising troubling questions about conflicts of interest, corporate influence and the future of the memorial itself.

46 min

7

Betrayal of Trust

A one-hour special reveals deep failures and systemic issues in Australia's childcare sector. Adele Ferguson uncovers shocking cases of child abuse, neglect and injury highlighting gaps in childcare safety and accountability.

57 min

8

Truth/Yoorrook

Australia's first ever truth-telling commission uncovers our hidden history. Bridget Brennan examines how we as a nation reckon with our colonial past and take critical steps towards truth, healing and justice.

47 min

9

Crooked

A decade-long investigation has uncovered explosive new evidence suggesting that corrupt former NSW Crime Commission assistant director Mark Standen's criminality was far more extensive than the public was led to believe.

46 min

10

The Power of Xi Jinping

The rise of Xi Jinping and the global impact of his rule. Xi envisions a dominant China - militarily, technologically and on the world stage, but he's being tested by economic instability, mass protests and international pushback.

45 min

11

Can Climate Scientists Save the World?

From volcano labs in Iceland, to disappearing glaciers in Switzerland and to sun-reflecting clouds in Australia, the bold experiments aimed not just at cutting emissions but removing carbon from the atmosphere.

45 min

12

The Agent Inside

In an extraordinary Four Corners exclusive, a former ASIO agent reveals to investigative reporter Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop how a resurgent Islamic State network is radicalising Australian teens and plotting violence.

51 min

13

True Colours

Beyond the campaign slogans, who has what it takes to lead the country? Louise Milligan examines the character, track record, and campaign strategies of the two men vying for power - Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton.

48 min

14

The Fugitive

Over summer, organised crime cast a terrifying shadow over Australia. The Jewish community in Sydney was left reeling - shaken by a wave of attacks. Now the caravan plot "mastermind" speaks for the first time.

46 min

15

Hammered: Inside the Bunnings Machine

Bunnings has become one of Australia's most dominant and profitable retailers. Critics say it's a corporate predator systematically picking off independents, shutting down competition and abusing its dominance with suppliers.

45 min

16

The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram

They call themselves Terrorgram - a group of "militant accelerationists" using extreme violence to bring down governments and create new white "ethnostates". The deadly consequences of unfettered free speech on social media.

46 min

17

Decimated

Can the Liberal Party ever recover from its historic election loss? With the Nationals walking away from the Coalition, the Liberals face the very real prospect that they may never govern again. Patricia Karvelas talks to Liberal insiders as they grapple with the existential crisis of what the Liberal Party stands for and who it represents.

47 min

18

Emergency

Doctors and frontline health workers warn they are witnessing the collapse of public mental health care in NSW. Staff say they're being forced to release people who are still seriously unwell because there aren't enough beds.

47 min

19

Heavy Hitters

Australian mixed martial arts say they were pushed to their physical and financial limits while the UFC made over a billion dollars in revenue. Former fighters describe a culture of exploitation, secrecy, and lasting damage.

46 min

20

Submerged

As the US launches a review into AUKUS, Four Corners examines the future of the $368 billion submarine deal. Mark Willacy speaks with key players inside the US Congress and the defence community, as senior UK figures warn of cost blowouts and delays.

47 min

21

Diddy: In Plain Sight

With Sean "Diddy" Combs on trial for alleged sex trafficking, this film uncovers first-hand accounts and unseen footage, exploring how silence, complicity and power allowed the allegations to stay hidden for so long.

45 min

22

Trading In Chaos

A week before the 90 day pause expires on Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs, we examine the chaos, confusion, uncertainty and fear generated by his whiplash-inducing tariffs, policies that experts say will increase the cost of living, make the US poorer and the world a less prosperous and secure place.

46 min

23

Generation Cancer

Australians in their 30s and 40s are facing an alarming surge in cancer diagnoses and researchers are scrambling to understand why. From bowel and breast to liver and kidney, aggressive cancers are hitting younger people; they're often detected late, with devastating outcomes. Dr Norman Swan investigates what's behind the change.

46 min

24

Rage Against the Regime

For decades, Iranians have resisted a regime built on fear, repression and religious control. This film reveals the voices of those who live the struggle, exiled dissidents, young protesters and women who dared to speak out.

45 min

25

God Complex

For years, a star neurosurgeon operated inside Australia's hospital system despite repeated allegations of sexist and inappropriate behaviour, and a string of legal claims by devastated patients. This is the hidden story of the toxic culture that enabled him.

48 min

26

No Return: Australia's Missing Billions

The Australian Taxation Office holds extraordinary power, but who's keeping it in check? A major Four Corners investigation reveals how inaction and flawed systems have allowed more than $50 billion in tax to go uncollected.

46 min

27

The Price of Justice

Who really wins in a class action? Anne Connolly reveals how some class actions have become a brazen money-making exercise for lawyers and litigation funders, leaving people feeling sidelined, short-changed and exploited.

48 min

28

Trump vs the Law

Trump versus the Courts: What will the American system of government become - the rule of law or the rule of the president? Donald Trump has expanded the power and authority of office like no other, and he is not stopping.

46 min

29

Lawfare

A growing anti-government movement in Australia is challenging the authority of the courts, councils and cops. Supercharged during the COVID lockdowns, some call themselves sovereign citizens, others freedom fighters.

47 min

30

Empty Promises

More than $100 million has vanished in a financial scandal at the heart of the federal government's disability housing program. How a once-in-a-generation reform has been left vulnerable to fraud, waste and systemic failure.

46 min

31

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack

An investigation into the impact of war on Gaza's health system and the treatment of its medical staff. A detailed account through personal stories of doctors trying to treat patients under extraordinary conditions.

47 min

32

Race to the Bottom

The race is on to find the minerals needed to enable the world's transition to clean energy and vast reserves of those minerals lie at the bottom of the Pacific. But scientists warn it risks catastrophic damage to our oceans.

48 min

33

Big Brethren

Former members of the secretive, ultra-wealthy church once known as the Exclusive Brethren speak about the psychological manipulation, surveillance and attempts to intimidate; plus growing influence in business and politics.

49 min

34

Havana Syndrome

A strange sound, unexplained symptoms, leaving US diplomats, intelligence and national security officers sick and disoriented. Victims and doctors reveal the toll of Havana Syndrome and their push for care and accountability.

46 min

35

Surviving Syria's Prisons

In Dec 2024 the world saw the dramatic fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, ending a 13-year civil war. But behind the celebrations is a grim legacy, over 100,000 Syrians disappeared and more than a million imprisoned.

46 min

36

Losing Streak

Online bookmakers have kept millions in wagers placed with stolen money. Why has the federal government failed to respond to a cross parliamentary blueprint for reform and what will it take to curb the harms of gambling?

47 min

37

Chasing Trump's Billions

Donald Trump has long boasted of his wealth, is he now using his office to enrich himself and his family? John Lyons examines how a vast network of foreign deals, hotels and cryptocurrency have opened Trump up to accusations of profiting from the presidency, and conflicts of interest.

46 min

38

Blackmailed: The Sextortion Killers

The dark world of online sextortion targeting teenage boys on social media. With unprecedented access to police and tech experts, to examine how these networks operate, their motivations, and the true devastation they cause.

46 min

39

Hunting Ground

Despite government promises of reform, Adele Ferguson uncovers more than 100 cases of alleged paedophiles who worked or are working in child care, enabled by systemic failures, weak oversight and a profit-driven industry.

55 min

40

Trading Fire

As Australia signs a landmark deal to bolster its alliance with Washington, we're selling China the critical minerals it needs to build hypersonic missiles and nuclear technology.

45 min