This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The father of a high school athlete who died by suicide in 2022 after falling victim to a sexual extortion, or “sextortion” scam on Instagram, says the problem is far more dire than a recent FBI report suggests. I believe.
According to the FBI, the social media crime trend is called sextortion, in which bad actors entice minors to engage in sexual acts or send extortion money. It said it had received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion involving at least 12,600 victims. And March 2023.
“The most disturbing thing to me is that something like that was allowed to happen,” Jordan DeMay's father, John DeMay, told Fox News Digital. “And social media companies aren't doing much to stop this, obviously, because that's where it's happening and it's happening so often.”
Michigan family warns of son's 'sexual abuse' suicide following arrest of three Nigerian men
John DeMay is sounding the alarm about a crime called “sextortion” after his 17-year-old son Jordan DeMay committed suicide in 2022 after becoming the victim of a sextortion scheme. (Handout)
At the age of 17, Jordan Demay was embroiled in a sextortion conspiracy by a Nigerian fraudster that ultimately led to the footballer's suicide.
Samuel Ogosi, 22, was one of three suspects in Lagos arrested last year. Hacking Instagram account and threatened approximately 130 victims online. Ogosi, her 20-year-old brother Samson Ogosi, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, posed as women on Instagram and coerced young men into exchanging explicit photos, federal authorities said in charging documents. mentioned in.
South Carolina lawmaker exposes dangers of 'sexual exploitation' after teenage son commits suicide
Okoshi, who is currently facing multiple federal charges in the United States, is said to have taken over the woman's Instagram account one night in March 2022 and began talking to Jordan.
Nigerian brothers Samuel and Samson Ogosi have been charged in connection with Jordan Demay's suicide after allegedly orchestrating a sextortion plot against him. (economic and financial crime)
When Jordan sent an explicit photo of himself, Ogosi threatened to expose it and make it “viral” online if Jordan did not send the money immediately. Jordan complied and transferred the money to the suspect, but the crime escalated from there as Okoshi demanded increasingly large amounts of money from the 17-year-old boy.
FBI warns that more teens are being targeted in online 'sexual exploitation' schemes
The exchange continued for hours over one night, with Jordan telling Ogosi that he was going to commit suicide.
“Good,” Ogoe wrote. “Hurry up or I'll make you do it. I swear to God.”
Jordan DeMay started chatting with someone he believed to be a woman on Instagram using the username dani.robertts. (Handout)
The FBI describes sextortion as a criminal act in which a criminal contacts a minor online and coerces them into sending explicit images or videos in exchange for more explicit content or money. The FBI said that in the first case, the offender was “seeking sexual gratification.”
In the second case of financial extortion, “the criminal threatens to publish the infringing material unless payment is received, often demanded in the form of gift cards, mobile payment services, wire transfers, or cryptocurrencies. I am.”
Nigerian man faces justice over sextortion scheme that led to son's suicide
“These criminals are motivated by financial gain, not necessarily sexual gratification,” the FBI said in a press release.
John DeMay also said he would tell Jordan “every day” if he had the “opportunity” that threats from sextortionists were not the end of his life. (Handout)
John DeMay said his initial reaction to the FBI's 13,000 figure was that he believes the actual number of sextortion victims in the United States is much higher, but because of the stigma surrounding the crime and its victims. , said many people do not report it to authorities.
“That 13,000 is probably only 10% of the actual reporting. There are several reasons. First, people don't really understand that something can happen. Because it seems so unattainable,” DeMay said of the possibility of justice for the victims. “So if people get victimized, they walk away. They shut it down. They don't tell anyone because it's confidential.”
AI “deepfakes'' of innocent images fuel a surge in sextortion scams, FBI warns
Second, based on his anecdotal experience speaking with families whose children were victims of sextortion in his small hometown in Michigan, DeMay believes the actual number of victims is lower than 13,000. He said he believes the number is much higher.
The FBI said in a press release last week that the average age of sextortion victims is between 14 and 17, but the FBI noted that any child can become a victim. According to the FBI, perpetrators of financially motivated sextortion typically come from African and Southeast Asian countries.
Sextortion can lead to suicide and self-harm. From October 2021 to March 2023, the majority of victims of online financial extortion were juveniles. According to the FBI, these reports include at least 20 suicides.
Suicide warning signs: What you need to know about prevention, red flags and how to deal with the problem.
The FBI also confirmed a 20% increase in sextortion cases involving minors from October 2022 to March 2023.
“The effects of sextortion are being felt across the country,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement last week. “To protect the American people, the FBI encourages parents, educators, caregivers, and children to learn more about what steps they can take. [FBI] 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20535 – 0001 Protect yourself and your loved ones from this crime. We and our partners will relentlessly pursue criminals who continue this deplorable activity. ”
Mr. Demay encouraged victims to come forward if they have been the victim of a sextortion crime. DeMay said if even one victim comes forward, authorities have a better chance of identifying a suspect.
If Mr. Demay believes that someone has been the victim of a sextortion scheme, he immediately ignores the suspect and makes sure that the suspect is not involved in a sextortion scheme so that authorities can review it and ultimately use it as evidence. He added that all conversations you have should be saved online.
“It's a puzzle,” DeMay said. “I previously worked in law enforcement for a while, and that's what should happen. The FBI is not a very large agency, but it's very capable. And they can help solve cases by cross-referencing data.” And it's like a puzzle sometimes.'' Sometimes you need one more piece to actually put the whole center of the puzzle together. ”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The National Center on Missing and Exploited Children has launched a new program called “Take It Down'' aimed at helping sextortion victims erase explicit images of their victims and dissuade malicious actors from sharing them online. We have created a free service called “. This tool can be accessed from: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org.
The FBI recommends that anyone who believes they may be a victim of sextortion, or who knows someone who may be, immediately call their local law enforcement agency or the FBI at 1-800-CALL -We encourage you to contact the FBI at 800-225-5324 or report online. fbi government.
