Bloomberg:
Scammers are targeting teenage boys on social media—and driving some to suicide.
One word from a stranger on social media was all it took. “Hey,” she said.
Jordan DeMay read the Instagram message at 10:19 p.m. on a Thursday night in March 2022. He had just kissed his girlfriend goodnight and was on his way home to pack: The next day he was escaping Michigan’s frozen Upper Peninsula for spring break in Florida.
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“Who is you?” he responded.
“No deal,” Dani replied.
By 3 a.m., Jordan was starting to unravel
Jordan:Why are you doing this to me? I am begging for my own life.
Hundreds of tips began flooding in from across the country, bucking the trend of typical exploitation cases. Usually, older male predators spend months grooming young girls into sending nude photos for their own sexual gratification. But in these new reports, teen boys were being catfished by individuals pretending to be teen girls—and they were sending the nude photos first. The extortion was rapid-fire, sometimes occurring within hours. And it wasn’t sexually motivated; the predators wanted money. The tips were coming from dozens of states, yet the blackmailers were all saying the same thing:
Tall, athletic and blond, Jordan was a football and basketball star at Marquette Senior High School, as well as its homecoming king. The 17-year-old often received friend requests from random girls on social media. He liked the attention.
This one came from Dani Robertts. Her profile photo showed a teenager with a cute smile, sunglasses perched atop shiny brown hair, hugging a German shepherd. Dani told Jordan she was from Texas but was going to high school in Georgia. They had one mutual friend and started texting about school life while he did his laundry.
Around midnight, Dani got flirtatious. She told Jordan she liked “playing sexy games.” Then she sent him a naked photo and asked for one in return, a “sexy pic” with his face in it. Jordan walked down the hallway to the bathroom, pulled down his pants and took a selfie in the mirror. He hit send.
In an instant, the flirty teenage girl disappeared.
“I have screenshot all your followers and tags and can send this nudes to everyone and also send your nudes to your family and friends until it goes viral,” Dani wrote. “All you have to do is cooperate with me and I won’t expose you.”
Minutes later: “I got all I need rn to make your life miserable dude."
Jordan’s tormentor knew his high school, his football team, his parents’ names, his address. Dani had created photo collages of his family and friends and plastered his nude picture in the middle. One screenshot had his nude selfie in a direct message addressed to his girlfriend. Dani said Jordan had 10 seconds to pay, or the message would be sent.
Jordan’s tormentor knew his high school, his football team, his parents’ names, his address. Dani had created photo collages of his family and friends and plastered his nude picture in the middle. One screenshot had his nude selfie in a direct message addressed to his girlfriend. Dani said Jordan had 10 seconds to pay, or the message would be sent.
“How much?” Jordan responded.
The price was $300. He transferred the money via Apple Cash and pleaded to be left alone. But it wasn’t enough. Now Dani wanted $800. Jordan sent a screenshot of his bank account showing a balance of $55, offering to send everything he had.
“No deal,” Dani replied.
By 3 a.m., Jordan was starting to unravel
Jordan:Why are you doing this to me? I am begging for my own life.
Dani:10 … 9 … 8 …I bet your GF will leave you for some other dude.
Jordan:I will be dead. Like I want to KMS [kill myself]
Dani:Sure. I will watch you die a miserable death.
Jordan:It’s over. You win bro ….I am kms rn. Bc of you.
Dani:Good. Do that fast. Or I’ll make you do it.I swear to God.
It was early 2022 when analysts at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) noticed a frightening pattern. The US nonprofit has fielded online-exploitation cybertips since 1998, but it had never seen anything like this.
Hundreds of tips began flooding in from across the country, bucking the trend of typical exploitation cases. Usually, older male predators spend months grooming young girls into sending nude photos for their own sexual gratification. But in these new reports, teen boys were being catfished by individuals pretending to be teen girls—and they were sending the nude photos first. The extortion was rapid-fire, sometimes occurring within hours. And it wasn’t sexually motivated; the predators wanted money. The tips were coming from dozens of states, yet the blackmailers were all saying the same thing:
“I’m going to ruin your life.”