Wisconsin warns of "sextortion," online crimes against kids
Wisconsin warns of "sextortion," online crimes against kids
The FBI calls it an online crime against kids – perpetrators convincing kids to send sexual images of themselves and then blackmailing them.
MILWAUKEE - The FBI calls it an online crime against kids – perpetrators convincing kids to send sexual images of themselves and then blackmailing them.
Online crime against kids
The backstory:
The reality is settling in. This will be Brittney Bird's first Christmas without her son, Bradyn Bohn, since he was born. That is because just nine months ago, the 15-year-old died by suicide, just hours after telling his family good night.
"This winter has been pretty heavy," Bird said. "This will be a lot of first this year."
Bradyn Bohn
Bird said Bradyn was the kind of kid who would always try to make you launch. The teen had a lot of friends, played sports, did well academically, and had big plans for the future.
"Definitely a kid who we were just so proud of," Bird said. "Bradyn never struggled with or suffered from mental illness or depression or anything of that nature so immediately we knew, you know something's wrong."
Brittney Bird
Once police went through Bradyn's phone, she said it came out he was the victim of the cyber crime, sextortion.
What is sextortion?
What we know:
"Sextortion is a form of online child exploitation where a child is coerced by a perpetrator to send compromising images," said Jesse Crowe from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
This week, the Wisconsin Department of Justice sent out a public service announcement on sextortion.
Officials say suspects often pose as someone else online. While exchanging messages, they convince a child to send images of themselves. Once they have explicit images of the child, they use the photos or videos to blackmail the child into sending even more images, money or ask for sexual favors.
FBI data, change in Wisconsin law
Dig deeper:
The FBI said victims are typically males between the ages of 14 and 17, but any child can be a target.
This crime led to at least 20 suicides between October 2021 and March 2023.
In the months after Bradyn's death, change would come to Wisconsin. Earlier in December, Gov. Tony Evers signed Bradyn's Law. It creates a new crime of sexual extortion in Wisconsin. It aims to ensure harsh penalties for those who exploit children online.
"It will bring, hopefully statewide, eventually nationwide attention to where every family is having this conversation with their kids," Bird told FOX6 News.
Take action
What you can do:
The Department of Justice said the best thing to do if a child finds themselves in this situation is the following:
- Block the perpetrator
- Report the account, but do not delete the messages
- Tell a trusted adult
- Do not send any money
Resources available
The Source: Information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.