Current:Home > ContactEthermac Exchange-A teen’s death in a small Michigan town led the FBI and police to an online sexual extortion scheme -FinTechWorld
Ethermac Exchange-A teen’s death in a small Michigan town led the FBI and police to an online sexual extortion scheme
Charles Langston View
Date:2025-04-10 10:54:43
WASHINGTON (AP) — Last year,Ethermac Exchange a teenager in a small Michigan town killed himself after an online chat turned to demands that he pay money to keep intimate photos secret. He was one of dozens of people targeted online by two men extradited from Nigeria to face charges, FBI director Christopher Wray said Saturday.
The arrests came after the FBI joined with police in Michigan to investigate the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, one thousands of American teenagers targeted in a sharp rise in online “sextortion” cases in recent years.
“They will face charges in the U.S. for what they did to Jordan, but also unfortunately, a whole bunch of other young men and teenage boys,” Wray said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You’re talking about a crime that doesn’t respect borders. We make sure our partnerships don’t have any borders either.”
Wray highlighted the case in a speech to the International Association of Chiefs of Police about the ways the agency assists police in tackling violent crime, fentanyl and gangs. In a year where tensions between Congress and the FBI have run high at times, Wray focused on the agency’s relationships with U.S. police departments large and small, including some 6,000 task force officers around the country.
“The threats that we face collectively around the country are incredibly daunting,” he said. “By far and away, the most effective means of tackling those threats is teamwork.”
After DeMay’s death in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the FBI joined the investigation by the sheriff’s department in Marquette County and state police. DeMay had thought he was chatting with a girl on Instagram about his own age, and the conversation quickly turned to a request for explicit pictures, authorities said.
But once he shared images of himself, the talk changed to demands for money in exchange for the other side not sending the images to DeMay’s family and friends. When the teenager could not pay, the person on the other end pushed DeMay to kill himself, authorities said.
DeMay had never been talking with a girl, according to the FBI, which said that on the other end were two brothers from Nigeria using a hacked Instagram account. They researched him online, using details about his friends and family to target their threats. They also tried to contact more than 100 people the same way, authorities said.
The pair, Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi of Lagos, Nigeria, have pleaded not guilty. Samuel Ogoshi’s lawyer declined to comment. Samson Ogoshi’s lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The FBI has seen a tenfold increase in “sextortion” cases since 2021. A least 3,000 children and teenagers have been targeted, and more than a dozen have killed themselves. Many schemes are believed to be originating with scammers based in African countries such as Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. Most victims are between age 14 and 17, but kids as young as 10 have been targeted.
DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, said he was an easygoing high school athlete with a girlfriend and a big circle of friends. He was preparing to go a trip to Florida with his father the night before his death, she said. HIs family has since spoken out about his death, urging other parents to talk with their kids about “sextortion” schemes.
“It’s important parents know that this can happen. Their child is not an exception. If they are on social media, it can happen so quickly,” she said. “Parents need to let their kids know that they can come to them with anything, and their parents are there to help them and guide them through these situations.”
veryGood! (978)
Related
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Princess Kate dons camouflage and drives armored vehicle in new military role: See photos
- Saturn's rings will disappear from view in March 2025, NASA says
- National Zoo’s giant pandas fly home amid uncertainty about future panda exchanges
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Texas inmate who says death sentence based on false expert testimony faces execution
- Blinken urges united future Palestinian government for Gaza and West Bank, widening gulf with Israel
- Get In Bestie and Watch the First Mean Girls Musical Movie Trailer
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Radio reporter arrested during protest will receive $700,000 settlement from Los Angeles County
Ranking
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Lower-income workers face a big challenge for retirement. What's keeping them from saving
- Next Met Gala theme unveiled: the ‘sleeping beauties’ of fashion
- Minnesota Supreme Court dismisses ‘insurrection clause’ challenge and allows Trump on primary ballot
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Walmart to start daily sensory-friendly hours in its stores this week: Here's why
- Michigan responds to Big Ten, saying commissioner doesn’t have discipline authority, AP sources say
- Atlanta man arrested with gun near U.S. Capitol faces numerous charges
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
Tupac Shakur murder suspect to face trial June 2024, Las Vegas judge says
Costa Rica’s $6 million National Bank heist was an inside job, authorities say
Democrats see abortion wins as a springboard for 2024 as GOP struggles to find a winning message
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Gavin Rossdale on his athletic kids, almost working with De Niro and greatest hits album
10 alleged Gambino crime family members, associates charged in federal indictment in New York City
South Carolina naturalist Rudy Mancke, who shared how everyone is connected to nature, dies at 78