A 15-year-old boy has died as a result of being the victim of a ‘evil’ catfishing scam.
A teen who was threatened by a catfish who pretended to be a girl in order to obtain intimate photographs before threatening to release them fatally committed suicide.
A fifteen-year-old boy committed suicide after falling victim to an internet extortion scheme.
In a lengthy Facebook post, his father described how he is “going through one of the worst things a parent can go through” after learning his son Riley Basford, 15, was cyberbullied by strangers.
According to Father Darren Basford, police told him that the “extremely sick people” blackmailed Riley on Facebook before he committed suicide.
In an interview with WWNYTV, Riley’s mother, Mary Rodee, described the decision as a “split second of madness.” On March 30, he died in his hometown of Potsdam, New York.
Riley had befriended a girl on Facebook who persuaded him to submit humiliating images of himself, Ms Rodee said.
Riley was then told that the photographs would be made public unless he paid $US3500 ($4580) in bribes.
His parents are also advising other parents to exercise caution and safeguard their children against the risks of organized cyber-bullying.
“My sweet Riley, who I have always known as the happiest child with a smile that lit up the world, fell victim to these heinous people,” Mr Basford wrote on Facebook.
