On a late Sunday evening, I came across an ESPN story on my X (formerly known as Twitter) timeline regarding young student-athletes being exploited and causing serious harm.
When I opened the link to read a forever-scrolling story by Dan Wetzel, it educated me on sexortion.
Since 2021, online sextortion has led to tens of thousands of cases and more than $65 million in losses and more than three dozen suicides, according to the FBI, the story cites.
The piece provides detailed information about Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old student from Marquette High School in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The story portrays DeMay as a popular and humorous person with a wide circle of friends. Although injuries thwarted his plans to play small-college football, he was preparing to attend Northern Michigan University with his girlfriend, Kyla.
One evening, DeMay received an Instagram message from “Dani.Robertts,” who would later claim to be a 19-year-old college student from Atlanta, according to the story. Her profile picture showed a pretty teen in a car with a German shepherd, as described in the story.
After a couple of hours of light conversation, “Dani” eventually sent a nude photo of herself and requested the same from DeMay, who was initially very reluctant, to say the least. After pressure from “Dani,” DeMay obliged and sent one to “Dani.”
Almost instantaneously, the story stated, Dani Robertts was gone.
“All along, DeMay had been chatting with Samuel Ogoshi, then 22, in Lagos, Nigeria,” Wetzel wrote. “Samuel was part of a small ring of online scammers, which included his younger brother, Samson, then 19, and a third man, Ezekiel Robert, also 19.
“Once DeMay sent the photo, the three men sprang into action with a relentless, scripted extortion plan to harass and threaten DeMay with public humiliation. Robert took over the chat while Samson Ogoshi scoured DeMay’s social media for friends, family, classmates, teachers and anyone else he could find. He quickly compiled a collage with DeMay’s intimate image surrounded by photos and social handles of people they could send it to.”
Eventually, DeMay was blackmailed into sending $1,000, or DeMay’s nude photo would go viral. DeMay had a mere $355 in his account, which was not enough to satisfy the scammers, who eventually posted the nude photo, including to his mother and girlfriend. DeMay took his own life late that night.
While scams like these aim at a growing number of young, male athletes who are particularly vulnerable due to both their elevated social status locally and the desire to project a perfect image for potential college recruitment, according to Abbigail Beccaccio, the chief of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, which Wetzel cites in his article.
In 2022, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 10,000 incident reports, which rose to over 30,000 by 2024. Law enforcement believes the actual numbers are likely much higher due to victims’ reluctance to report, the story states.
That underreporting includes potential suicides, including a reported 36. Although that number is probably higher, of those confirmed, at least a couple of suicides have taken place in Ohio, the story states.
So much pressure already exists for many student-athletes, including maintaining their grades, balancing school and work, living the everyday life of a teenager, and other factors, such as relationships and any mental health struggles.
Can you imagine adding a scam like what DeMay faced as a consequence, which he never saw coming from someone thousands of miles away with no conscience for ruining a human life?
With the fall sports season revving up, so too are social media activities, especially for students looking to continue their athletic careers in college and who use social media to showcase themselves.
Stand firm against scammers, like those operating from Nigeria, and don’t let their tactics intimidate you from pursuing your dreams. At the same time, recognize that what might appear to be a harmless private act can not only harm your reputation but also jeopardize your safety. It’s a sad and cruel reality we live in, but educating ourselves — you can read more of Wetzel’s piece at tinyurl.com/3vwfzbh6 — and remaining attentive can go a long way in keeping everyone safe, especially for those with an aspiring future to chase.