- The boy had been engaging online with an unknown person who threatened to share personal photos of him with his family and friends if he did not pay $500
Two Nigerian men accused of sextortion that led to a teenage Australian boy taking his own life have been charged.
The boy had been engaging online with an unknown person who threatened to share personal photos of him with his family and friends if he did not pay $500.
He is believed to have taken his own life in 2023 as a result of the threats.
Sextortion is a crime that involves online blackmail, where the victim is lured or coerced into sharing private or explicit photos or videos of themselves with the perpetrator, who is often pretending to be a peer or potential romantic interest.
Once the perpetrator has the content, they then threaten to share it with the victim’s friends, family or community if they do not pay the blackmail.
Police investigated the matter before it was referred to the NSW State Crime Command’s Cybercrime Squad, which traced the alleged perpetrators to Nigeria before requesting help from the Australian Federal Police.
As a result of the AFP-led investigation, working alongside South African and Nigerian authorities, two Nigerian men were arrested and charged with sextortion offences in March.
The men were found in a slum in Nigeria with a population of 25 million people. The men will be dealt with locally, where authorities can prosecute for Australia-based offences.
Sextortion cases up nearly 400 per cent
Commander of NSW State Crime Command’s Cybercrime Squad, detective superintendent Matthew Craft, said the message to young people was that they don’t need to suffer in silence.
“We’ve seen a huge spike in sextortion cases, which are up nearly 400 per cent in the last 18 months,” he said.
“But the good news is people are reporting it and there are steps we can take to help you before it goes too far.
“We want young people to continue to report these cases and to never be embarrassed to talk to police.”
Craft said the arrests in Nigeria showed just how far police are willing to go to seek justice.
AFP commander Helen Schneider commended the work of investigators, saying the arrests showed what could be achieved when law enforcement worked together to fight a global problem.
“The sextortion of children is a borderless crime, as these arrests show,” Schneider said.
@SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), Australia