Jordan DeMay: Parents of sextortion victim, 17, who took his life urge 'tough' talks with children
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MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN: Parents should have ‘tough’ conversations with their kids about sextortion scams, says the mother of Jordan DeMay who killed himself last year. The 17-year-old from Marquette, Michigan, was pushed to take the extreme step after three Nigerian men allegedly demanded $1000 after coercing him to send his nude photo. According to the US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten, DeMay told the perpetrators that he was going to take his own life over their mistreatment, and they replied, “Good” and "Enjoy your miserable life."
Jennifer Buda, with federal law enforcement officials, addressed a press conference and opened up about her son’s death on March 25, 2022. "Jordan's smile could light up any room. Jordan's charm and beautiful smile were contagious. Drawing people to him wherever he went and leaving a lasting impression on everyone he met."
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'Victim of an internet scam'
Jennifer elaborated on the ‘senseless act’ against her son DeMay, "When we were informed that Jordan was potentially a victim of an internet scam called sextortion via Instagram, there was never a hesitation in our minds to share his story. We wanted everyone to be aware of sextortion and have those tough conversations with their families so if it did happen to them, they knew to talk to someone." Totten shared the names of three men involved in sextortion, Samuel Ogoshi, 22, Samson Ogoshi, 20, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, all from Lagos, Nigeria, who allegedly posed as a girl on Instagram and lured ‘hundreds’ of victims, as per ABC News.
'Three suspects will be extradited to the US'
"This was a multifaceted investigation that involved identifying dozens of victims by following the digital breadcrumbs left behind by the sextortion on the internet," said Jim Tarasca, the FBI special agent in charge of the Detroit field office. Federal officials said that the three men were going to be extradited to the United States soon. The FBI defines sextortion as "A crime in which people adopt fake identities online, coerce victims to send nude photos of themselves, and then try and get the victims to pay money in exchange for a promise not to post the photos."