“I have your nude photos and everything they need to destroy your life”. This creepy message was received on social media by the teenager Evan Boettler from the US, from someone who previously believed she was a young girl, but in fact she was a cyber-priest, as the BBC writes in his article.

Just 90 minutes after receiving the first message, the 16 -year -old ended his life. Sextation is one of the fastest growing online crimes. Victims – often teenagers in the US and Europe – are deceived to send personal photos or videos, which scammers threaten to spread if they are not paid.

“When we were finally told that night that he had died, it had no meaning. I don’t understand how this could happen to our family »says Evan’s mother, Curry.

At their home in Missouri, where he lives with his father Evan, Brad, he describes their son as a smart, funny teenager who loved fishing, sports and hunting.

In early January 2024, Evan received a message on Snapchat from someone who thought was a girl named Jennyte60. But it wasn’t what seemed. In a matter of minutes, Jenny persuaded him to share provocative photos of himself and immediately began to blackmail him ruthlessly.

Social media platforms such as Meta refuse to share information without a judicial order – which the family has not yet, despite the pressure on the FBI to take action. In the years that have passed since Evan’s death, authorities seem to have made little progress.

There was, however, a crucial element: at some point, the fraudster asked for his connection details to Facebook and, when he used them, left an IP address behind him.

This digital footprint, as the medium reports, led to many locations in Nigeria, mainly its most densely populated city, Lagos. Many of the city’s scammers live there, known as “Yahoo Boys”, according to the medium, and their name comes from the email they used to carry out online scams in the early 2000s. These young men, often at the age of 20, live in poor areas.

Every young man had his role, but all the money came to their leader, known as “Ghost”. There, experienced scammers teach their apprentices. Their biggest “mentors” tempt them with stories of success and social status, while imposing debt or take a share of any fraud, creating a circle that is difficult to escape.