Dear Friend, 

TRIGGER WARNING: Discussions of suicide 

Eddie (pseudonym) was a straight-A student. He was a proud member of his Boy Scout troupe. His mom described him as her “unusually happy son.” Seemingly, things were great for the 17-year-old.  

But sadly, after falling victim to a terrible crime, known as sextortion, Eddie took his own life. 

A "girl" Eddie had been chatting with for a while on social media sent him a nude photo and asked for one in return. But this girl was actually a scammer.

Upon receiving a photo from Eddie, the scammer threatened to publish it online if Eddie did not send $5000 immediately. Eddie sent everything he could from his college fund, but he didn’t have enough money. The scammer was relentless in their demands and threats.  

By 2 a.m. that same night, Eddie had died by suicide. 

Eddie’s story is far from unique. That’s why on February 11th, Safer Internet Day, we’ll be co-hosting an event alongside the End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition to brief legislators on the need to address the dire problem of sextortion.  

And we’re inviting you to join us! 

Unmasking the Sextortion Crisis Online: Call to Action on Safer Internet Day Online Issue Briefing 

When: February 11, 2025 1:30pm - 2:15pm. 

Registration Link: https://endsexualexploitation.org/OSEACwebinar 

The following movement leaders will be speaking at the event: 

• Paul Raffile, Premier Expert on Sextortion 
• Harrison Haynes and Jajaira Overton, End OSEAC Survivor's Councilmembers 
• Shelby Knox, Director of Tech Accountability Campaigns, ParentsTogether 
• Sarah Gardner, CEO, Heat Initiative 
• Haley McNamara, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, National Center on Sexual Exploitation 
• Moderator: Coco Lammers, Chair of the End OSEAC Coalition 

As social media becomes a bigger part in the lives of children and teens, sextortion has become one of the tragic byproducts. Thorn and the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children reported that between August 2022 and August 2023 reported an average of 812 sextortion cases per week.  

It’s crucial we put a stop to it. Children all over the world are depending on us. 

We hope to see you at the event next Tuesday!  


Sincerely,