Sextortion increasingly ensnares young athletes
Trigger warning: This story contains references to suicide and gun violence.
ESPN | Online predators from Nigeria zeroed in on a Michigan teen as a source of easy money through a form of internet blackmail called “sextortion.”
Dani, the persona the scammers used to convince him, gained his trust with small talk. Eventually, she sent him pictures, telling him that it was now “his turn.” Using carefully scripted conversations, these criminals convince people to do things they wouldn’t normally do — like send pictures. Hours later, ashamed and convinced his life was forever damaged, the young man took his own life.
“In 2022, the NCMEC received 10,000 reports of sextortion incidents. By 2024, the number had exceeded 30,000. The real numbers are likely much higher. ”
He is not alone. Overseas criminal organizations use sextortion schemes to entrap and extort American teens with terrifying, extreme aggression. They do their research; they target young men with social presence and promising futures.
In the Michigan case, law enforcement was able to extradite two of the perpetrators from Nigeria. The two brothers, 22 and 19 years old, considered their crime “a small financial scam.” After pleading guilty to charges, they were sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. Five American men pled guilty to helping them launder money the brothers extorted from other victims.
In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 10,000 reports of sextortion incidents. By 2024, it had tripled to more than 30,000. But victims are reluctant to report; the real numbers are likely much higher.
And the whole scam moves quickly. The victims in ESPN’s story all died within 24 hours of initial contact, most within hours, according to NCMEC. And that’s why it’s critical to build awareness, so teens — and adults for that matter — know the signs. They need to know that the real people behind their friendly, flirty new social contacts may be predators.
Full article: The predatory web of sextortion increasingly ensnares young athletes