Two Nigerian men have been arrested after a 16-year-old Australian boy committed suicide over extortion.
The deceased was reportedly involved with an unknown person online he had presumed to be a woman. Things went out of hand after his blackmailers demanded $500 or they would share his nude photos with his family and friends.
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Detectives were informed last month that “two young males” based in Nigeria had been arrested and charged over the alleged sextortion.
Commander of State Crime Command’s Cybercrime Squad, Detective Superintendent Matthew Craft, said law enforcement had the “reach” to identify the two men.
“The NSW Police with the assistance of the Australian Federal Police and also too, importantly, the FBI, were able to identify two males in Nigeria that we will allege were responsible for engaging with this young person as part of the sextortion offences,” he said.
Parents of the alleged victim did not want their son or themselves identified.
The alleged offenders will be “dealt with locally” in Nigeria, where authorities have the power to prosecute for Australian-based offences.
Craft said in the past 18 months, sextortion cases have increased by nearly 400 per cent.
