One of the new forms of online exploitation, sextortion, has recently been increasingly targeting young boys. How this scam affects teens It coerces them into transmitting nude or sexually explicit photographs, which predators then use to extort them for money. Tragically, this issue became personal for Ryan Cleland when his son Carson fell victim to it. Carson’s death by suicide was less than 12 hours after he was first contacted by his sextorter. This sad episode highlights the negative impacts such programs can have. Sextortion cases have increased fivefold across Canada since 2021, experts say. The toll is tragic indeed, with a recent and horrifying spike in suicides connected to this offense.
The extortionist only needed to get Carson to pay $25, but the value of the emotional cost was incalculably high. In the last four years, at least 40 suicides in North America, Australia, and the U.K. have been attributed to sextortion. In Canada, five of these tragic cases have been recorded. Paul Raffile is a WSCRC researcher whose work primarily focuses on cybercrime and sextortion. He’s passionate about the issue, warning, “I really believe that this is the worst American fraud ever.”
The Alarming Surge of Sextortion Cases
Experts say sextortion schemes have exploded since 2021. According to Paul Raffile, Youth Development Specialist, Boys & Girls Club, 85% of victims of sextortion are boys—that’s a staggering statistic! Intelligence from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection supports this alarming figure. Perhaps most distressing, it shows just how vulnerable young males are to this form of crime.
There, guides on how to commit sextortion are shockingly accessible online. Step-by-step guides and templates teach prospective sextorters how to convince victims to provide nude photos. Raffile explains the tactics employed by these criminals: “They will target a specific high school, a specific university, and just add everybody from the sports team rosters.”
The emotional cost of this type of exploitation is huge. Sean Fraser, a member of Parliament, remarks on the deep grief experienced by families affected by such tragedies: “Dealing with the loss of a child is the most profound grief that a family can experience.” Countless families are living under the persistent risk of sextortion today. They find it difficult to deal with the loss of life and how it happened.
The Role of Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms have come under fire for failing to stop sextortion from spreading like wildfire. The public is rightly asking how these platforms have been allowing such crimes to occur. On October 1, Ryan Cleland, a Kentuckian, filed suit against Snapchat. He is calling the platform to task for failing to protect users like his son. In response to this issue, Snapchat told CNN that they take down any account linked to sextortion. In just 2024, the platform removed more than 60,000 accounts in Nigeria trying to carry out these scams.
A spokesperson for Scribd commented on their proactive approach: “As soon as we were made aware, we acted immediately to remove the material and suspend the account responsible. We followed that up with a network-wide proactive sweep to find and remove any pertinent content. At last, social media companies are starting to act responsibly. They understand the need to protect vulnerable users from predators on the internet at large.
Still, despite these efforts, experts such as Raffile contend that social media platforms will always choose user growth over user safety. These platforms profit through the multiplication of monthly active users,” he says. This profit motive can create blinders preventing strong measures to protect children against criminal activities like sextortion.
Community Awareness and Prevention Strategies
Educating the public about sextortion is key to ensuring that other families do not suffer the same heartbreak. Parents and educators need to engage in open conversations with youths about online safety and the potential risks associated with sharing personal information or images. According to Raffile, educating young people about these threats is vital: “We know that the primary source of leverage that these criminals use is the followers lists.”
Aside from advocacy efforts to raise awareness about sextortion, community support systems are essential in dealing with the emotional fallout from sextortion. Local organizations committed to supporting victims and families impacted by these crimes can offer valuable resources and assistance.
Ryan Cleland’s tragic story has spurred increased advocacy efforts at the community level and among state and federal policymakers. He emphasizes the urgent need for enhanced safety measures: “Until you can honestly tell me that the kids in this world are safe from predators like this, then it’ll never be enough.” His dedication to making a change through his experience serves as an important reminder about the value of vigilance and proactive steps in protecting against online exploitation.
