What is sextortion and how does it affect teens like Bryce Tate?

Sextortion is a crime where someone blackmails a victim with explicit images or information, often demanding money. Bryce Tate was a victim of this scheme.

How did scammers target Bryce Tate?

Scammers pretended to be a local teenage girl, using personal details to gain Bryce Tate's trust before demanding money.

What is the FBI's stance on sextortion cases?

The FBI has reported a significant increase in sextortion cases involving children and teens, highlighting the growing threat.

Home / Crime and Justice / Teen Dies After Online Sextortion Trap

Teen Dies After Online Sextortion Trap

10 Dec

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Summary

A 15-year-old died by suicide after being targeted by sextortion scammers.
Scammers pretended to be a local girl to gain the teen's trust.
The victim was pressured for money and threatened with violence.

A 15-year-old boy from Cross Lanes, West Virginia, died by suicide on November 6, hours after being ensnared in an online sextortion scheme. Detectives discovered the manipulative tactics used against him through his phone.

The perpetrators posed as a local 17-year-old girl, leveraging personal information and friends' names to build trust. They sent non-AI generated photos, likely from another victim, before demanding illicit images. When the teen couldn't meet the $500 demand, threats escalated, including a directive to commit suicide.

This tragedy underscores a national crisis, with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reporting over 33,000 sextortion cases in 2024. The FBI acknowledges a significant increase in these crimes, warning of the severe psychological impact on young victims.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.