Denver, Colo. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Teens today spend almost five hours a day swiping right, scrolling and sharing on social media. But how do you know what your child is doing is safe? There’s a growing danger online for teenagers. It’s called sextortion. It’s when predators befriend teens online, manipulate them into compromising situations, and then threaten to expose them unless they pay up. One parent shares with us the dangers of sextortion and it’s devastating consequences.
Walker Montgomery had just celebrated his 16th birthday, got his driver’s license, loved hanging out with his family, and was tight with his teammates.
“Walker was the best kid you could ask for,” said Brian Montgomery, Walker’s Dad.
Everything seemed perfect, until …
“Around midnight Walker was contacted through Instagram on the messaging portal by someone he thought to be a teenage girl his age. And it was a simple, ‘Hey, what’s up?’” explained Montgomery.
But after a while the conversation turned.
“And that led this person to inviting walker into a sexual encounter through Instagram. Walker didn’t realize it, but he was being recorded from a secondary device on the other side,” said Montgomery.
The person on the other end wasn’t a girl, but someone more sinister. Threatening to put an image and video of Walker on social media unless Walker paid them a thousand dollars.
“Walker responded, ‘I’m gonna kill myself.’ Their response was, go ahead, because you’re already dead anyway,” said Montgomery.
That night, Walker went to his dads safe, grabbed the handgun and took his own life.
“People, they assume that this had been a building over multiple days or weeks or whatever. This is one night, one night,” said Montgomery.
Experts believe the shame teens feel can become overwhelming.
So, what can parents do? Experts say it’s imperative to keep the lines of communication open, educate teens about the risks of sharing personal information online, and while you want to respect their privacy, stay informed about your teen’s online activity. What sites they visit, and who they’re chatting with.
“If they’re totally focused on online and they’re being very secretive as a parent be aware of what apps that are maybe a little bit riskier,” explained Montgomery
And let your child know they won’t be judged or blamed for seeking help.
“What’s important for a parent to hear is how quickly this can happen and how unexpected. We all went to bed that night, including Walker. He went to his room that night without any real care in the world, you know? And here we are,” said Montgomery.
Walker’s family has started the non-profit Walkers mission. It has helped to push forward two bills into law in Mississippi to protect children from sextortion scams and punish by law those responsible. The FBI tracked down the person who was blackmailing walker in Nigeria. No arrests have been made yet.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor, Matt Goldschmidt, Photographer
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