Gangs are using “pyramid schemes” to maximise their earnings from videos of children being abused.

And the Internet Watch Foundation charity says the number of commercial sites which trade in this way has “skyrocketed”.

Known as iCAP – Invite Child Abuse Pyramid – the majority of the photos and videos showcase “the worst of the worst” Category A – including rape and sadism. A large number involve sexual images of babies and toddlers.

The schemes are profiting from a “viral” marketing model which rewards visitors with additional illegal child content if they spam a link out.

The more it’s shared, the more points a person who posts it gains. Paedophiles can use these to access other packages of child sex abuse

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IWF has investigated 9,278 child abuse pyramid schemes since it first identified the sick trade a year ago. It has helped authorities remove 1,116 sites.

Chief executive Susie Hargreaves called these sites “a major public safety threat”. She added: “They are also a depressing reminder of the commodification of child sexual abuse on the internet.

Criminal gangs profiting from children’s misery are becoming more and more brazen, adopting devious, viral marketing schemes to spread imagery of the evil sexual abuse of children.

“They only want to make money off the back of this real suffering.” A 19-year-old victim has told how easy it was to get caught in a predator’s web.

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The girl was delighted when aged just 14 she met a boy she thought was the same age on a social networking app. After persuading her to send naked pictures he revealed he was in his 20s and made threats to share the photos with her friends and family.

In November at Lewes Crown Court, Jordan Croft, 26, from Worthing, was jailed for 26 years after he admitted 65 offences involving 26 victims, some as young as 12.

The teenager said: “He blackmailed me and told me to ask permission for everything I did. One night he wouldn’t let me go to sleep or school the next day.”

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