• Super Admin
• 08 Mar, 2026

Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Parents and authorities struggling to protect young Australians from the predatory aspects of social media can take heart from a global investigation involving state and federal police that put two Nigerian "sextortionists" in jail after their scam resulted in the suicide of a NSW teenager. His death is an unspoken fear of many parents who worry about their children's vulnerability to social media and the darker corners of the internet. The boy took his own life in 2023, just hours after the Nigerians demanded $500 in online gift cards, threatening to distribute his naked photos to family and school friends. He had been contacted by a so-called girl who encouraged him to reciprocate sexualised photos. She sent a racy photo. He dispatched one back and the scammers swooped. On Wednesday, a Nigerian court sentenced the pair, aged 25 and 29, to more than 40 years' jail. In investigating the boy's death and preparing evidence for the coroner, NSW Police found the messages that caused his suicide. They established Strike Force Prescribe, and, with the Australian Federal Police and international enforcement agencies, traced the plotters to Nigeria. Source: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nigerian-scammers-got-just-deserts-but-online-teens-need-guardrails-20260308-p5o8gh.html