Amanda Prestigiacomo

Yeah, Guffey has really become a warrior in this space since Gavin passed in 2022. He was able to get Gavin's law passed just a year after he lost Gavin, and he's currently working with fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz on Cruz's bipartisan bill called the Take It Down Act. That would force social media companies to take down sexual images of minors within 48 hours of it being flagged.

Guffey shared Gavin's story with me when I spoke to him this past week.

Guffey shared Gavin's story with me when I spoke to him this past week.

After his son passed, Guffey told me that his family was contacted by the scammers for more money, and he was even taunted about Gavin committing suicide.

After his son passed, Guffey told me that his family was contacted by the scammers for more money, and he was even taunted about Gavin committing suicide.

This past January, Gavin Scammer was extradited from Nigeria to the United States and is now facing life in prison. According to the FBI and Our Rescue CEO Tammy Lee, Nigeria and other African countries are most often tied into these schemes.

This past January, Gavin Scammer was extradited from Nigeria to the United States and is now facing life in prison. According to the FBI and Our Rescue CEO Tammy Lee, Nigeria and other African countries are most often tied into these schemes.

According to InfoSecurity magazine, the so-called Yahoo boys will inundate high schools, youth sports teams, and universities with fake accounts and will use advanced social engineering tactics to coerce or trick their victims into sharing explicit images or footage.

According to InfoSecurity magazine, the so-called Yahoo boys will inundate high schools, youth sports teams, and universities with fake accounts and will use advanced social engineering tactics to coerce or trick their victims into sharing explicit images or footage.

The group gets its name from the web service provider Yahoo, and these criminals are tied to pass Nigerian print scams before they shifted to elderly fraud, fake job scams, and now sextortion.

The group gets its name from the web service provider Yahoo, and these criminals are tied to pass Nigerian print scams before they shifted to elderly fraud, fake job scams, and now sextortion.

A memo from the FBI's Sacramento field office said that financially motivated sextortion offenders are often foreigners, and they primarily hail from West African countries like Nigeria and Ivory Coast or Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines.

A memo from the FBI's Sacramento field office said that financially motivated sextortion offenders are often foreigners, and they primarily hail from West African countries like Nigeria and Ivory Coast or Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines.

Lee told me that artificial intelligence is widening the net of sextortion victims.

Lee told me that artificial intelligence is widening the net of sextortion victims.

One report found that 90% of all financially motivated sextortion victims were males between the ages of 14 and 17. The FBI saw a 20% increase in reports in just one six-month period back in 2023. From October of 2021 to March 2023, The FBI and Homeland Security investigations received more than 13,000 reports of such activity online targeting minors.

One report found that 90% of all financially motivated sextortion victims were males between the ages of 14 and 17. The FBI saw a 20% increase in reports in just one six-month period back in 2023. From October of 2021 to March 2023, The FBI and Homeland Security investigations received more than 13,000 reports of such activity online targeting minors.

There were about 12,600 victims, primarily all boys, and at least 20 suicides. A more recent number, according to a USA Today report, found that sextortion cases have been tied to at least 30 suicides of teen boys since 2021. And that number is likely a low estimate since some families might not even be aware that their child was a victim of sextortion due to the online nature of the crime.

There were about 12,600 victims, primarily all boys, and at least 20 suicides. A more recent number, according to a USA Today report, found that sextortion cases have been tied to at least 30 suicides of teen boys since 2021. And that number is likely a low estimate since some families might not even be aware that their child was a victim of sextortion due to the online nature of the crime.

Additionally, the Cyber Tip Line, which is run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMAC, received nearly 200,000 reports of online enticement of children for sexual acts, which includes extortion. That number has quadrupled since 2021, when the tip line received just under 50,000 reports.