1 00:01:27,199 --> 00:01:29,080 Are you all scamming now? 2 00:01:35,940 --> 00:01:41,820 His name was Evan Butler. Have you ever heard of that, Kay? 3 00:01:59,199 --> 00:02:02,780 A new word has hit the headlines. 4 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:08,960 Sextortion. Sextortion is the fastest growing scam affecting teenagers 5 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:14,180 Their aim, terrify children into handing over as much money as they can. 6 00:02:15,870 --> 00:02:20,350 Reports from around the world have begun warning of a spike in sextortion scams, 7 00:02:20,490 --> 00:02:25,190 now predominantly targeting teenage boys in towns in Europe and North America. 8 00:02:26,610 --> 00:02:29,130 Towns like this one, Aurora, Missouri. 9 00:02:39,670 --> 00:02:42,830 Hey guys, welcome back to the vlog. It's Evan here. 10 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,460 Oh, yeah, there's my sister being weird. 11 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:49,760 Say, Mom. 12 00:02:50,180 --> 00:02:51,380 Say, hey, Mom. 13 00:02:52,020 --> 00:02:53,020 Mom. 14 00:02:53,300 --> 00:02:57,960 This video really shows his personality. 15 00:02:59,380 --> 00:03:01,480 He was the kid that would wear anything. 16 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:06,080 He wasn't concerned about what everybody else was wearing. He was kind of his 17 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:07,280 own cat. 18 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:12,440 I tested this out here with the top water, and I caught it all by myself. 19 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:15,280 I'm so proud of myself. 20 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:20,960 He enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, fishing. 21 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:25,960 Tried all the sports. 22 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:35,680 When people talk about sextortion, they are talking about this attack through 23 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:36,680 social media. 24 00:03:36,740 --> 00:03:41,820 And what really turns your stomach here is that the classic target is... 25 00:03:42,250 --> 00:03:44,270 A lad of 14, 15, 16. 26 00:03:52,910 --> 00:03:56,250 I don't come up a ton hard. 27 00:04:02,450 --> 00:04:03,429 Oh, wow. 28 00:04:03,430 --> 00:04:04,750 It's virtually untouched. 29 00:04:06,790 --> 00:04:09,650 A lot of the stuff sitting around, like, these are things that would kind of 30 00:04:09,650 --> 00:04:10,649 showcase. 31 00:04:10,650 --> 00:04:14,530 who he was and we just haven't put them up everything's just kind of left 32 00:04:14,530 --> 00:04:19,310 yeah 33 00:04:19,310 --> 00:04:26,190 and at these awards that he was um yeah when he was when he was 34 00:04:26,190 --> 00:04:32,730 little he was in a um little mr hound dog kind of a pageant uh for our local 35 00:04:32,730 --> 00:04:37,390 you know they go on the parade and stuff like that but that was his only uh 36 00:04:37,390 --> 00:04:41,590 trial at uh pageantry you got his Soccer award. 37 00:04:43,390 --> 00:04:46,810 Defensive rookie of the year. Yeah, that was from his freshman year playing 38 00:04:46,810 --> 00:04:47,810 soccer. 39 00:04:48,090 --> 00:04:50,810 He liked the slide tackle quite a bit. 40 00:04:51,150 --> 00:04:53,630 He was pretty slick at that. 41 00:04:56,130 --> 00:04:59,550 You see the things and they bring back, you know, good memories. 42 00:05:00,290 --> 00:05:05,170 But then at the same time, it reminds you of the law. 43 00:05:05,910 --> 00:05:06,910 Yeah. 44 00:05:08,370 --> 00:05:09,370 I'm so sorry. 45 00:05:15,820 --> 00:05:17,140 Can you tell me what happened? 46 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:24,580 That evening, you know, on January 3rd, it replays in my head all the time. 47 00:05:29,020 --> 00:05:32,340 It was... First day back after Christmas break. 48 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:36,360 And it was getting dark, and it was really cold. 49 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:42,620 Our understanding is that this person contacted him on Snapchat. 50 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:48,380 The user profile was a young girl, and Jenny T60 was the name. 51 00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:05,060 He decided to take a risk, I guess, you know, being a teenage boy. 52 00:06:25,420 --> 00:06:30,240 There was a photo that Evan had shared, and it said, I'm ready to ruin your life 53 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:31,660 unless you will comply with me. 54 00:06:35,980 --> 00:06:38,360 And then it was just constant. 55 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:46,240 And he told them he didn't have any money, and then it was just message 56 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,280 message of, you know, demand. 57 00:07:06,090 --> 00:07:10,270 They asked for his Facebook login. They asked for his Instagram login. 58 00:07:10,730 --> 00:07:12,310 They asked for his address. 59 00:07:13,030 --> 00:07:16,630 And he responded with, why are you going to kill me? 60 00:07:17,210 --> 00:07:18,410 He was terrified. 61 00:07:20,670 --> 00:07:24,510 He just had no idea why this person was doing this. 62 00:07:32,130 --> 00:07:33,670 It was continual harassment. 63 00:07:42,220 --> 00:07:46,140 It didn't give him any time to think, you know, it was nonstop. 64 00:07:52,300 --> 00:07:56,540 And then they asked for his Instagram login. 65 00:07:58,340 --> 00:08:00,180 And he said, I'm looking for it. 66 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:04,440 That was his last response. 67 00:08:06,780 --> 00:08:09,920 From the first message was about an hour and a half, two hours. 68 00:08:15,660 --> 00:08:22,540 We came in up to the house and we were at the driveway and I got a text message 69 00:08:22,540 --> 00:08:28,780 and I looked at my phone and as I was reading the message, 70 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,020 we heard the gunshot. 71 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:37,140 Was it a goodbye message? 72 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:40,020 Yes. Yeah. 73 00:08:40,620 --> 00:08:42,980 Saying that, you know. How much he loved us. 74 00:08:43,530 --> 00:08:49,470 And that we were great parents and he was sorry for what he was doing to us 75 00:08:49,470 --> 00:08:55,070 said, you know, I hope I see you in heaven. And that was that. 76 00:08:58,970 --> 00:09:05,410 When they finally told us that night that he was gone, I just, it didn't make 77 00:09:05,410 --> 00:09:10,790 any sense. Like, I don't understand how this could happen to our family. 78 00:09:14,860 --> 00:09:19,840 It's an unexplainable feeling that you get when you know your kid's attacked 79 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:20,840 like that. 80 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,180 It's something that you'll live with for the rest of your life. 81 00:09:31,100 --> 00:09:36,540 The Bettlers want to identify the person who blackmailed Evan, but Meta, who may 82 00:09:36,540 --> 00:09:40,360 hold information that could help, won't release it without a court order. 83 00:09:43,370 --> 00:09:47,030 Everything that I've read or looked at is that, you know, they're not going to 84 00:09:47,030 --> 00:09:54,010 share any information without having those court documents to force it on 85 00:09:54,210 --> 00:09:56,050 As a parent, does that feel frustrating? 86 00:09:56,310 --> 00:09:57,450 It's infuriating. 87 00:09:58,090 --> 00:10:04,750 For a company to basically stalemate and try to 88 00:10:04,750 --> 00:10:08,790 protect the criminal is extremely frustrating. 89 00:10:20,330 --> 00:10:25,450 It's been over a year since Evan died, and law enforcement in the US appear to 90 00:10:25,450 --> 00:10:26,630 have made little progress. 91 00:10:26,910 --> 00:10:30,650 But there are some clues as to who might be responsible for Evan's death. 92 00:10:31,050 --> 00:10:35,530 At one point in the exchange, the scammer demanded Evan's Facebook login, 93 00:10:35,750 --> 00:10:38,490 presumably so they could message all of his contacts. 94 00:10:39,030 --> 00:10:43,930 When they logged into his account, they left a crucial piece of information, the 95 00:10:43,930 --> 00:10:46,030 IP address that connected them to the network. 96 00:10:46,830 --> 00:10:51,430 So all we have is the name of the Instagram account that targeted Evan and 97 00:10:51,430 --> 00:10:53,130 IP address captured by him. 98 00:10:53,890 --> 00:10:58,390 I want to know what type of person would target a child in such a brutal scam. 99 00:10:58,850 --> 00:11:04,010 And looking at the IP address, it links back to multiple locations, all in 100 00:11:04,010 --> 00:11:05,010 Nigeria. 101 00:11:05,130 --> 00:11:09,430 But it most frequently links to the country's largest city, Lagos. 102 00:11:12,470 --> 00:11:16,130 According to researchers, a large number of scammers come from West Africa. 103 00:11:16,620 --> 00:11:17,800 Specifically, Nigeria. 104 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:19,420 Nigeria. Nigeria. 105 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:26,540 From these streets, criminals target children, trick, bully, blackmail them. 106 00:11:26,740 --> 00:11:31,380 We're talking about gangs operating against individual teenagers. 107 00:11:32,260 --> 00:11:36,280 Nigeria has become the leading country for cybercrime in Africa. 108 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:43,520 A career path becoming so popular there that those who do it now have a name. 109 00:11:43,660 --> 00:11:44,800 They are... 110 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:46,680 Yahoo Boys. 111 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:53,440 I'm in Lagos to try and better understand how Yahoo Boys operates, and 112 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:57,460 with the small amount of information we have, we can get close to working out 113 00:11:57,460 --> 00:11:58,720 which one targeted Evan. 114 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:07,320 I've enlisted the help of Professor Adedeji Oyunuga, a criminologist and 115 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:11,440 investigator who has been studying Yahoo Boys for over 20 years. 116 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:18,600 So this is a screenshot of what Meta sent to Evan once the scammer tried to 117 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:19,600 into his Facebook. 118 00:12:20,180 --> 00:12:25,620 You can see that they were using an FB Lite on Infinix S5 Pro. 119 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:32,460 Yeah, Infinix was among the cheapest phones in Nigeria. So this one is a poor 120 00:12:32,460 --> 00:12:33,460 young boy. 121 00:12:33,700 --> 00:12:39,360 So he's probably working in a group where he has a leader telling him what 122 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:40,360 next. 123 00:13:04,580 --> 00:13:05,580 Hustle kingdoms, 124 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:12,800 or scam centres, have started to appear across Nigeria. 125 00:13:13,530 --> 00:13:18,030 with organized criminals now running large -scale operations targeting 126 00:13:18,030 --> 00:13:19,030 en masse. 127 00:13:19,910 --> 00:13:24,830 Nigerian authorities have successfully raided many of these centers, but no 128 00:13:24,830 --> 00:13:26,810 journalist has ever filmed inside one. 129 00:13:29,470 --> 00:13:35,130 I've been told about a hustle kingdom in Makoto, a floating settlement in Lagos, 130 00:13:35,150 --> 00:13:37,410 and one of the poorest areas in the city. 131 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,280 They've agreed to let me inside their illegal hustle kingdom, but with strict 132 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,020 instructions. We do not reveal the specific location 133 00:13:47,020 --> 00:14:01,980 Hi 134 00:14:01,980 --> 00:14:07,060 ghost on tear 135 00:14:12,270 --> 00:14:13,650 Can you tell me what an HK is? 136 00:14:17,470 --> 00:14:23,950 What type of fraud do you do? 137 00:14:25,450 --> 00:14:29,190 OK. And do all your boys do different types of scams or are all of them 138 00:14:29,190 --> 00:14:30,190 specialising in one? 139 00:14:30,910 --> 00:14:35,510 Are you scamming or are you just managing them? 140 00:14:42,079 --> 00:14:43,960 OK. How much have you made so far? 141 00:14:46,700 --> 00:14:50,140 In your bank account? 142 00:14:51,620 --> 00:14:52,620 Right. 143 00:14:55,100 --> 00:14:56,100 That's a lot of money. 144 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:02,720 Yeah. Is that kind of what you guys think? Is that what you think you are? 145 00:15:03,580 --> 00:15:10,500 Can you introduce me 146 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:11,500 to your team? 147 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:15,160 Hi, 148 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:19,280 everyone. 149 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:22,820 Are you all busy at work? 150 00:15:24,700 --> 00:15:30,860 As you're talking, I can hear a lot of messages going on. Are you all scamming 151 00:15:30,860 --> 00:15:32,540 now? They're busy at it. 152 00:15:37,020 --> 00:15:40,360 Have you heard of sex -daughter scams, otherwise known as BM? 153 00:15:52,230 --> 00:15:53,230 Yeah, exactly. 154 00:15:55,350 --> 00:16:00,810 What type of Yahoo boys do you think do blackmail scams? 155 00:16:03,590 --> 00:16:09,670 Even amongst Yahoo boys like ghosts, sextortion is a cause of shame. 156 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:13,060 in part because of the consequences it can have. 157 00:16:14,420 --> 00:16:19,680 Reports from around the world now indicate that since 2019, there has been 158 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,940 year -on -year increase in suicides related to sextortion. 159 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:36,980 After days of trying to find the sextortion scammer, I've made contact 160 00:16:36,980 --> 00:16:40,270 man in his early 20s, going by the name... Ola. 161 00:16:44,750 --> 00:16:49,950 He's been doing cybercrime since he was 14 and pivoted to sextortion in his late 162 00:16:49,950 --> 00:16:50,950 teens. 163 00:16:56,890 --> 00:17:03,810 Can you tell me a bit about that? 164 00:17:20,230 --> 00:17:26,550 So at the moment you put female, American, United States. 165 00:17:37,260 --> 00:17:40,040 Okay, but what about the profile picture? 166 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:43,660 It's just a normal -looking girl. Where do you get those from? 167 00:17:45,860 --> 00:17:46,400 And 168 00:17:46,400 --> 00:18:00,460 what 169 00:18:00,460 --> 00:18:03,480 social media platforms are you using? 170 00:18:09,260 --> 00:18:13,100 I guess young kids, though, use Snapchat mostly. 171 00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:14,580 Are you targeting young kids? 172 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:19,080 Why do you target young boys? 173 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:24,880 So 174 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:32,720 you're 175 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,000 saying you target young boys because they're being more scared? 176 00:18:35,470 --> 00:18:36,470 Yes. 177 00:18:37,490 --> 00:18:40,110 OK, sounds pretty brutal, pretty ruthless. 178 00:18:41,770 --> 00:18:48,730 When you find your targets, how do you know what to say to 179 00:18:48,730 --> 00:18:49,730 them? 180 00:18:52,030 --> 00:18:53,030 OK, 181 00:18:53,210 --> 00:18:56,310 so there's like a format or text that you send them? Yes. Can I see? 182 00:19:06,220 --> 00:19:09,560 I want to make 183 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:16,540 my pussy get squirt, just stand at the front of the mirror and 184 00:19:16,540 --> 00:19:18,300 take a mirror snap, babe, holding your dick. 185 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:22,260 Okay, so it's quite explicit, the messages that you send them. 186 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:23,520 Yeah. 187 00:19:44,639 --> 00:19:46,800 Breaking news video maker? 188 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:49,960 Yes. So you make it into a news headline? 189 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:51,760 Yes, that. 190 00:19:52,460 --> 00:19:57,140 is like trying to harass me sexually by sending me his nude pictures, something 191 00:19:57,140 --> 00:19:58,140 like this. 192 00:20:00,780 --> 00:20:01,780 Oh, God. 193 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,480 This is the victim over here. 194 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:08,900 I will have edited that. 195 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:17,020 So by the time I would be like, if he refused to give me, let me say, $300, 196 00:20:17,020 --> 00:20:20,620 I will post the picture to his work office or his school. 197 00:20:21,260 --> 00:20:25,220 Once you complete the amount you agreed, you can tell them I'm not satisfied 198 00:20:25,220 --> 00:20:26,280 with the amount you paid. 199 00:20:26,980 --> 00:20:30,520 So I need to fill the amount again to tell them $4 ,000. 200 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,380 If you don't have the money in full, you can pay the money weekly. 201 00:20:35,340 --> 00:20:38,800 Sounds like you're pretty ruthless. You carry on for a long period of time. 202 00:20:39,020 --> 00:20:41,280 In many cases, that could ruin someone's life. 203 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:43,020 No, I don't feel bad. 204 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:44,760 Why? 205 00:20:45,260 --> 00:20:46,340 Because I need the money. 206 00:20:47,180 --> 00:20:49,440 I've been suffering for a lot of time, so I don't care. 207 00:20:51,919 --> 00:20:55,320 Have you heard about the cases where kids are committing suicide? 208 00:20:57,700 --> 00:20:58,880 How do you know, though? 209 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,880 I don't think so. I think they're scared. 210 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:17,140 But what if they can't pay? What if they don't have the money to do it? 211 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:35,120 To Ola, it's hard to believe that an American kid wouldn't have money. 212 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,280 If they say no, he assumes they're lying. 213 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:43,240 That mindset, I think, explains why some scammers feel little empathy for their 214 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:48,380 victim. To people like Ola... just being born in america or europe means you've 215 00:21:48,380 --> 00:21:54,180 had an easy life so why feel sorry for them but i kind of think that a lot of 216 00:21:54,180 --> 00:21:58,560 them don't realize they're talking to a real person at the end of the day and 217 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:02,240 what they're doing is having real life consequences it affects the person 218 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:06,040 they're talking to and it affects that person's family there's a ripple effect 219 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:10,840 and it makes me think about evan's case i wonder if the boy that targeted him 220 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:15,010 even knows that evan's dead Or was it just one of a hundred people he was 221 00:22:15,010 --> 00:22:16,010 talking to that day? 222 00:22:25,070 --> 00:22:30,330 Our only solid lead in tracking down Evan's blackmailer is the IP address 223 00:22:30,330 --> 00:22:31,089 to them. 224 00:22:31,090 --> 00:22:36,930 Its location traces back to several areas in Nigeria, but most frequently it 225 00:22:36,930 --> 00:22:38,690 links here, to Lagos Island. 226 00:22:39,629 --> 00:22:44,830 I'm hoping Professor Azadeji can help us use this IP address to pinpoint a more 227 00:22:44,830 --> 00:22:45,830 specific location. 228 00:22:48,770 --> 00:22:53,750 Lagos Island is, I would have said slum, but it's one of the most highly 229 00:22:53,750 --> 00:22:55,870 concentrated areas of Lagos State. 230 00:22:56,670 --> 00:23:00,550 It's not a place I'd like to come to because you have to be very smart to 231 00:23:00,550 --> 00:23:01,590 survive on the island. 232 00:23:02,190 --> 00:23:04,150 Why is it not a place you'd like to come to? 233 00:23:05,010 --> 00:23:06,530 It's not really very safe. 234 00:23:06,870 --> 00:23:07,870 OK. 235 00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:17,960 So this is one of the locations that links to the IP address? 236 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:19,640 Yes, one of the locations. 237 00:23:19,900 --> 00:23:23,080 So if the IP address shows up here, does that mean that he was here at this 238 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:24,080 specific point? 239 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:29,260 Not this specific point. It was here on the island, anywhere around here, 240 00:23:29,300 --> 00:23:32,800 because the mask is just supplying the network, and there are masks everywhere. 241 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:33,840 There, 242 00:23:34,620 --> 00:23:36,280 there, there, up there. 243 00:23:37,260 --> 00:23:39,620 But the mask will determine where he is. 244 00:23:39,820 --> 00:23:43,160 But, you know, it's 100 to 500 metres circumference. 245 00:23:43,630 --> 00:23:44,870 100 to 500 metres. 246 00:23:45,230 --> 00:23:48,490 So he could be... Anywhere here. Anywhere here, yeah. 247 00:23:50,170 --> 00:23:52,130 It's going to be hard for us to find the guy. 248 00:23:52,350 --> 00:23:55,650 It's going to be impossible for us to find the guy with just the IP address. 249 00:23:55,990 --> 00:23:57,170 We need the phone number. 250 00:23:57,850 --> 00:24:00,770 And once you have the phone number, you'll be able to get the exact 251 00:24:00,770 --> 00:24:01,930 Exact location, yes. 252 00:24:02,250 --> 00:24:03,250 OK. 253 00:24:08,190 --> 00:24:11,710 The blackmailer's IP address traces back to Glow World. 254 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:14,660 Nigeria's second largest telecom provider. 255 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:20,520 By law, companies like Glowworld must keep user records for at least two years 256 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:24,920 in a bid to combat cybercrime, so they should have the information we need. 257 00:24:26,100 --> 00:24:31,080 I reached out to them and they agreed to help, but only if Nigerian authorities 258 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,740 officially request the release of the information. 259 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:40,740 So I handed over everything I had on Evan Bettler to the Nigerian police, and 260 00:24:40,740 --> 00:24:45,210 now... For the first time since his death, an official investigation is 261 00:24:45,210 --> 00:24:46,210 here. 262 00:24:53,270 --> 00:24:59,870 For the Bettlers, the confirmation of this open 263 00:24:59,870 --> 00:25:03,910 investigation is the first significant update in over a year. 264 00:25:11,300 --> 00:25:13,380 No, you can tell with Kerry. 265 00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:21,380 Just we've waited for over a year's time to get some information like this and 266 00:25:21,380 --> 00:25:24,920 to know that somebody is fighting for Evan. 267 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:29,200 Yeah, as I said, we've been thinking about you a lot, and I understand how 268 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:32,880 information is quite overwhelming, but yeah. 269 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:35,040 It's good. 270 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:36,480 I mean, it's a lead. 271 00:25:36,860 --> 00:25:38,160 It's hopeful. 272 00:25:39,980 --> 00:25:45,300 Because we've been just left hanging in no hope, kind of. So this gives us a 273 00:25:45,300 --> 00:25:46,300 little bit of hope. 274 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,620 It's been such a long time for them. They've waited a whole year. 275 00:25:53,940 --> 00:25:55,720 So hopefully something can be done. 276 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:06,680 As the weeks went on, our communications with the police in Glowwell made it 277 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:08,480 clear that things moved slowly in Nigeria. 278 00:26:10,090 --> 00:26:12,770 Still, they assured us the case was active. 279 00:26:26,670 --> 00:26:31,590 I can't help feeling that the investigations into sextortion crimes 280 00:26:31,590 --> 00:26:36,310 painfully long time, especially compared to the rapid rate at which new young 281 00:26:36,310 --> 00:26:38,350 Yahoo boys are turning to sextortion. 282 00:26:40,110 --> 00:26:44,890 Ade is 20 years old and recently began sextorting victims in the West. 283 00:26:45,950 --> 00:26:50,250 He's having trouble with a client and has arranged a meeting with a local 284 00:26:50,250 --> 00:26:53,290 who has developed a ritual that he claims will help him. 285 00:27:11,980 --> 00:27:14,040 I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what I'm doing. 286 00:27:41,070 --> 00:27:41,929 I don't know. 287 00:27:41,930 --> 00:27:42,930 I don't know. 288 00:27:43,610 --> 00:27:44,610 I don't know. 289 00:27:45,870 --> 00:27:46,870 I don't know. 290 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:26,800 20 ,000. 291 00:28:27,020 --> 00:28:28,020 That's all. 292 00:28:37,949 --> 00:28:40,130 I'm sorry. 293 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,220 If you don't believe me, I'll kill you. 294 00:29:10,260 --> 00:29:13,940 If you don't believe me, I'll kill you. 295 00:29:50,070 --> 00:29:54,630 While they prepare the bird for Ade to eat, I want to know if what he's doing 296 00:29:54,630 --> 00:29:55,970 here is a common practice. 297 00:29:57,090 --> 00:29:59,770 How often do Yahoo boys come to you for money rituals? 298 00:30:02,150 --> 00:30:06,610 Wow, that seems like a lot. 299 00:30:10,590 --> 00:30:13,910 Now that that ritual's done, do you think that his client will pay him? 300 00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:58,160 Doesn't look like he's enjoying it. 301 00:31:25,570 --> 00:31:27,890 The ritual itself was disturbing. 302 00:31:28,390 --> 00:31:33,470 But what struck me even more was how these Yahoo boys, like Ade, are taught 303 00:31:33,470 --> 00:31:34,470 see themselves. 304 00:31:35,210 --> 00:31:40,130 They're snakes, masters of camouflage, blending in until the moment they 305 00:31:42,930 --> 00:31:44,870 That's exactly what happened to Evan. 306 00:31:45,930 --> 00:31:51,730 His attacker hid behind a fake identity, slowly gaining his trust, until Evan 307 00:31:51,730 --> 00:31:54,090 was manipulated into sending a nude photo. 308 00:31:56,490 --> 00:31:59,310 These are predators that hunt on social media. 309 00:32:00,950 --> 00:32:03,430 For Evan, the trap was set on Snapchat. 310 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:11,860 Another young sextortion scammer I've made contact with specialises in finding 311 00:32:11,860 --> 00:32:12,920 victims on the app. 312 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:40,220 You look for rich guys, you don't look for poor guys because they will not be 313 00:32:40,220 --> 00:32:41,220 able to give you anything. 314 00:32:42,060 --> 00:32:43,180 This one doesn't have money. 315 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:45,280 Go on Snapchat, add him. 316 00:32:46,820 --> 00:32:50,300 Once you add back, all your friends from Snapchat will show there. 317 00:32:51,460 --> 00:32:53,040 Then I start to add all of them. 318 00:32:55,820 --> 00:32:57,120 I send them a text. 319 00:32:58,220 --> 00:33:00,220 And how many people are you targeting daily? 320 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:02,680 I have no limit. 321 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:03,919 No limit? 322 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:04,920 You don't stop? 323 00:33:18,829 --> 00:33:24,010 So do you use Snapchat to make them feel safer for sending a nude because they 324 00:33:24,010 --> 00:33:25,070 know it can't be screenshotted? 325 00:33:26,110 --> 00:33:33,030 So Snapchat 326 00:33:33,030 --> 00:33:34,210 helps you in a way? 327 00:33:47,070 --> 00:33:53,810 It seems the very features 328 00:33:53,810 --> 00:33:58,010 that Snapchat designed to supposedly make the platform safer for young people 329 00:33:58,010 --> 00:34:02,810 are actually being exploited by these scammers to make their victims feel 330 00:34:03,420 --> 00:34:08,739 But Temi also told me about other, more sophisticated methods they use to make 331 00:34:08,739 --> 00:34:12,860 their victims feel safe when they want to go beyond messages and have a video 332 00:34:12,860 --> 00:34:13,860 call. 333 00:34:24,900 --> 00:34:31,699 Right, but their mouth wouldn't be moving. 334 00:34:33,020 --> 00:34:37,600 It will be moving? Yeah. So are you using AI or deepfakes, or are you using 335 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:38,600 -recorded videos? 336 00:34:39,020 --> 00:34:42,360 No pre -recorded. I just need the picture of the girl. 337 00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:50,860 I've heard reports of Yahoo boys using AI in sextortion scams, but no one has 338 00:34:50,860 --> 00:34:52,840 ever filmed it being used first -hand. 339 00:34:55,020 --> 00:34:56,060 So what is this? 340 00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:01,340 This is an AI cloning app, what it says. 341 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:03,420 I use this to talk to them. 342 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:05,520 Where did you get the picture of this woman from? 343 00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:08,240 That is from Instagram. 344 00:35:08,980 --> 00:35:09,980 From Instagram? 345 00:35:10,140 --> 00:35:14,440 Yeah. You use Rachel to pretend that it's a woman? 346 00:35:15,020 --> 00:35:16,020 Hey, baby. 347 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:17,400 How you doing? 348 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:18,520 Oh, wow. 349 00:35:18,580 --> 00:35:20,900 I didn't expect it to be that realistic. 350 00:35:22,220 --> 00:35:27,840 Well, if you want to be able to scam, you have to go multiple ways without any 351 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:28,840 mistakes. 352 00:35:30,060 --> 00:35:31,740 And this is just the first phase. 353 00:35:31,940 --> 00:35:33,500 You want to make video call. 354 00:35:34,380 --> 00:35:37,640 Okay. Then you start virtual camera. 355 00:35:38,760 --> 00:35:40,140 Let me call somebody. 356 00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:54,080 Wow. He's not seeing a real face. 357 00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:55,520 He's seeing the person on it. 358 00:35:55,860 --> 00:35:56,860 Yeah. 359 00:35:56,940 --> 00:35:58,980 How much does this app cost? 360 00:35:59,630 --> 00:36:03,490 This app costs about 3 million in Naira. 361 00:36:03,730 --> 00:36:07,550 OK. To be able to set everything up, 5 million. 362 00:36:08,430 --> 00:36:10,210 So that's $3 ,500? 363 00:36:10,670 --> 00:36:11,810 Yeah. That's expensive. 364 00:36:12,290 --> 00:36:13,290 Yeah, yeah. 365 00:36:13,410 --> 00:36:17,790 Can you use this on apps like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook? 366 00:36:18,250 --> 00:36:22,190 Yeah. OK, so it's compatible with all of those different social media platforms. 367 00:36:22,570 --> 00:36:28,550 Yeah. Having this is a very good opportunity to bag plenty of money. 368 00:36:29,170 --> 00:36:32,790 Because some people actually believe what they see and what you see. 369 00:36:34,970 --> 00:36:38,630 Imagine I'm texting you and the next thing, you do not request for video 370 00:36:38,710 --> 00:36:40,030 I'm the one that requests for video call. 371 00:36:40,810 --> 00:36:42,170 It makes it very believable. 372 00:36:42,430 --> 00:36:43,430 Yeah. 373 00:36:44,290 --> 00:36:48,190 So anything I see after that, you actually believe me. 374 00:36:52,950 --> 00:36:55,330 From what I've seen in my time in Nigeria, 375 00:36:56,030 --> 00:37:00,030 sextortion is growing in popularity amongst young yahoo boys like temi 376 00:37:00,030 --> 00:37:07,030 everyone told me it would be hard to find a 377 00:37:07,030 --> 00:37:12,630 yahoo boy who does sextortion but with each day i spend here i discover more 378 00:37:12,630 --> 00:37:18,190 more the crime is clearly growing the fbi announced that the number of 379 00:37:18,190 --> 00:37:22,670 sextortion cases reported to them have more than doubled in the last three 380 00:37:23,190 --> 00:37:26,190 reaching a high of 55 ,000 in 2024. 381 00:37:26,950 --> 00:37:31,790 At least 20 of these cases have ended in the same heartbreaking way as Evan 382 00:37:31,790 --> 00:37:32,790 Butler's. 383 00:37:39,590 --> 00:37:44,390 Companies like Snapchat and Meta are increasingly being put under pressure by 384 00:37:44,390 --> 00:37:45,390 victims and lawmakers. 385 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:49,820 about the growing number of sextortion cases happening on their platform. 386 00:37:50,100 --> 00:37:53,000 You affirm the testimony you're about to give before the committee will be the 387 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:55,540 truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God. 388 00:37:57,340 --> 00:38:02,400 Critics say platforms could take action, like making friends less private, but 389 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:04,720 they're unwilling to act because it would harm profits. 390 00:38:08,580 --> 00:38:12,180 We are on the side of parents everywhere working hard to raise their kids. 391 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:29,080 I reached out to META to see if they would share additional information 392 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:31,120 to Evan's case with me and the Bettlers. 393 00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:35,120 They declined, citing privacy concerns. 394 00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:39,240 Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs in the world. 395 00:38:40,100 --> 00:38:43,960 So we work hard to provide parents and teens support and controls to reduce 396 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:44,960 potential harm. 397 00:38:45,820 --> 00:38:49,360 And it's important to me that our services are positive for everyone who 398 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:50,360 them. 399 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:52,460 Section 230, the old. 400 00:38:53,070 --> 00:38:58,170 let them have that security and not being charged with anything. 401 00:38:58,510 --> 00:39:01,290 So, yeah, it's very infuriating. 402 00:39:02,390 --> 00:39:07,850 Section 230 states that companies like Meta and Snapchat shouldn't be treated 403 00:39:07,850 --> 00:39:11,690 publishers and therefore aren't responsible for what they use as posts. 404 00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:18,440 So Meta and Snapchat, when they sent the subpoenas at first, they just came back 405 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:21,980 with blanket information, the same information that we got when we 406 00:39:21,980 --> 00:39:23,160 his user account. 407 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:26,940 Snapchat was not willing to really give anything. 408 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:30,560 Meta gave them a little bit more information than Snapchat did. 409 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:36,340 So you didn't actually get much information from them? No, not, you 410 00:39:36,340 --> 00:39:39,000 timestamps, which were already on the messages anyway. 411 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:41,800 So releasing that information, I think they're... 412 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:47,720 they choose to be tight with it so as to not be held liable for anything. 413 00:39:55,220 --> 00:40:00,920 Arturo Behar is a former senior staffer at Meta who worked on user safety at the 414 00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:03,080 company before leaving in 2021. 415 00:40:04,060 --> 00:40:09,600 I've spoken to over 40 parents who have lost children. 416 00:40:10,110 --> 00:40:11,810 and they ask the companies for records. 417 00:40:12,190 --> 00:40:13,930 It's a harrowing process. 418 00:40:14,770 --> 00:40:18,570 META are demonstrating, we don't want you to know what happened to your child. 419 00:40:18,710 --> 00:40:22,010 We don't take any responsibility for it, even though they are so responsible. 420 00:40:23,330 --> 00:40:26,510 And so whilst you were there, were you aware of sextortion? 421 00:40:27,250 --> 00:40:31,450 I cannot think of a single meaningful measure that was in place. 422 00:40:32,250 --> 00:40:33,830 Can they not report it as spam? 423 00:40:34,870 --> 00:40:36,350 So the spam button... 424 00:40:36,730 --> 00:40:40,390 Back then, and I believe probably today, it's not connected to anything. 425 00:40:40,890 --> 00:40:43,470 Oh. So... So where does it go? 426 00:40:44,170 --> 00:40:45,170 The void. 427 00:40:45,190 --> 00:40:51,130 Right. Yeah, there's this gadget called the useless machine, and you flick a 428 00:40:51,130 --> 00:40:53,750 switch and a little hand comes out and pushes the switch back. 429 00:40:54,110 --> 00:40:55,610 That's the report spam button. 430 00:40:55,950 --> 00:40:58,750 OK, so it's not actually going to anyone at Meta? No. 431 00:40:58,970 --> 00:41:02,910 They keep demonstrating that they don't want to know when kids are experiencing 432 00:41:02,910 --> 00:41:03,910 harm. 433 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:08,600 They don't want other people to know when kids are experiencing harm because 434 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:09,760 they don't want to deal with it. 435 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:13,900 Is it that they don't care enough or is it that it's impossible to stop? Or is 436 00:41:13,900 --> 00:41:15,000 it a money issue? 437 00:41:15,580 --> 00:41:19,320 No, no, no. It's not a money issue and it's not impossible to stop. 438 00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:23,120 As you know, the Yahoo! Yahoo! Boys operate from scripts. 439 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:28,840 It's disgraceful that there's not a classifier that looks at the chat and 440 00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:32,480 notices the script and immediately protects and then goes and... 441 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:36,440 eradicates every account that's associated with it that's driving that 442 00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:41,480 because that's what you can do when you work on these issues at scale if mark 443 00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:45,400 zuckerberg woke up tomorrow morning and said under no circumstances do i want 444 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:49,620 any of this on instagram it would take three to six months for it to be 445 00:41:49,620 --> 00:41:54,160 eradicated every death is preventable and shameful 446 00:41:59,850 --> 00:42:04,410 While Meta wouldn't share additional information relating to Evan's case, 447 00:42:04,410 --> 00:42:08,490 did tell me that the account that blackmailed Evan was flagged as fake by 448 00:42:08,490 --> 00:42:13,790 in January of 2024, the same month that Evan took his own life, and the account 449 00:42:13,790 --> 00:42:14,970 was subsequently removed. 450 00:42:15,830 --> 00:42:20,850 However, they wouldn't specify when in January the account was detected as 451 00:42:20,950 --> 00:42:24,590 or whether it was flagged before the account interacted with Evan. 452 00:42:24,870 --> 00:42:27,510 We'll never know if they could have stopped it. 453 00:42:29,190 --> 00:42:33,830 While the blackmail took place on Instagram, Evan was initially tricked 454 00:42:33,830 --> 00:42:35,370 sending a nude image on Snapchat. 455 00:42:36,030 --> 00:42:41,430 When we contacted Snapchat, they too refused to provide any details, citing 456 00:42:41,430 --> 00:42:42,430 privacy concerns. 457 00:42:45,230 --> 00:42:49,610 It seems the social media companies don't want to share information with 458 00:42:49,610 --> 00:42:54,470 bereaved parents, journalists, or without a court -approved subpoena, even 459 00:42:54,470 --> 00:42:55,470 enforcement. 460 00:42:57,670 --> 00:43:01,970 All hopes of finding the man who caused Evan's death now rest on Glowworld. 461 00:43:02,770 --> 00:43:06,590 Would they provide us with the phone number that had been used to target him? 462 00:43:07,190 --> 00:43:08,970 I finally receive an update. 463 00:43:11,250 --> 00:43:15,750 Even though they're supposed to keep user information for two years, they had 464 00:43:15,750 --> 00:43:17,190 failed to do so in this case. 465 00:43:17,550 --> 00:43:19,550 They blamed the type of IP address. 466 00:43:22,470 --> 00:43:23,970 There was no phone number. 467 00:43:25,010 --> 00:43:26,510 The trail's gone cold. 468 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:32,720 Hi guys, how are you? 469 00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:34,440 Good, how are you? 470 00:43:34,640 --> 00:43:37,000 Good, thank you. It's nice to see your faces. 471 00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:38,880 You as well. 472 00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:44,340 So the first thing is that after a lot of back and forth with Glow World, 473 00:43:44,500 --> 00:43:48,720 they've actually told us that even though cybercrime law states they should 474 00:43:48,720 --> 00:43:53,600 the information for two years, they no longer have the information which is 475 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:57,500 linking to the IP address. So we've been unable to get the phone number. 476 00:43:58,140 --> 00:44:02,980 I was really hoping I would be able to give you some better information, and I 477 00:44:02,980 --> 00:44:03,980 am sorry for that. 478 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:06,640 A little disheartening. 479 00:44:06,860 --> 00:44:13,340 You know, my heart still says that the information is someplace to be able to 480 00:44:13,340 --> 00:44:17,180 connect the number or the account together somehow. 481 00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:24,440 Meta probably has that capability, but, you know, they're likely not going to 482 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:25,520 turn loose of it either. 483 00:44:26,490 --> 00:44:30,250 I feel like the longer it is, like, the farther off it is, you know, as an 484 00:44:30,250 --> 00:44:36,650 obtainable thing. You know, like, we just keep chasing after something that 485 00:44:36,650 --> 00:44:38,010 farther and farther away. 486 00:44:38,390 --> 00:44:39,390 Yeah. Yeah. 487 00:44:39,590 --> 00:44:43,310 I appreciate everything you guys are doing, because without you, we wouldn't 488 00:44:43,310 --> 00:44:49,570 even have that. And I feel like our local police chief did what he could to 489 00:44:49,570 --> 00:44:51,610 to get things moving for us. 490 00:44:52,490 --> 00:44:54,490 Just know with Metta and... 491 00:44:55,050 --> 00:44:58,630 You know, the laws that really protect them, it makes it almost impossible. 492 00:44:59,310 --> 00:45:02,130 Yeah. Thank you for all you guys are doing. We'll keep in touch. 493 00:45:08,530 --> 00:45:14,110 Now, guys, I'm fishing with a spinnerbait. It's a little trailer. It's 494 00:45:14,110 --> 00:45:18,450 windy, so I figured I would just try this out for a little bit. 495 00:45:25,710 --> 00:45:32,090 He's probably pre -teen right there, and he's fishing an 496 00:45:32,090 --> 00:45:33,530 open -face reel. 497 00:45:33,970 --> 00:45:40,030 He picked it up and threw it just as well as anybody that I've seen. 498 00:45:40,870 --> 00:45:44,710 From a young age, he really dreamed about being a professional fisherman. 499 00:45:45,290 --> 00:45:49,830 He always was excited about fishing. 500 00:45:50,490 --> 00:45:52,290 Who caught that? You or Dad? Me. 501 00:45:52,810 --> 00:45:54,010 He didn't catch anything. 502 00:45:55,080 --> 00:46:01,080 His smile, he had the greatest smile, and he was always happiest when showing 503 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:02,080 off his catches. 504 00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:12,780 And that was kind of a start of his love for fishing when we went to Roaring 505 00:46:12,780 --> 00:46:13,780 River. 506 00:46:29,420 --> 00:46:33,880 Since I've been back from Nigeria, I find myself constantly thinking about 507 00:46:33,880 --> 00:46:38,720 young men out there getting into sextortion, interacting with their 508 00:46:38,720 --> 00:46:39,720 through screens. 509 00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:46,060 They seem so detached, threatening to destroy lives for just a few hundred 510 00:46:46,060 --> 00:46:50,620 dollars. The real cost, especially in cases like Evan's, is immeasurable. 511 00:47:07,370 --> 00:47:08,370 Down this direction. 512 00:47:17,450 --> 00:47:18,790 Haven't done this for a while. 513 00:47:19,410 --> 00:47:21,170 When was the last time you came here? 514 00:47:22,450 --> 00:47:27,230 Last time I was here was probably about a year and a half ago. 515 00:47:30,910 --> 00:47:35,330 I couldn't even begin to put a number on the amount of hours. 516 00:47:36,630 --> 00:47:43,450 that we spent, you know, in a boat or in a river, 517 00:47:43,530 --> 00:47:46,330 sharing that time. 518 00:47:50,610 --> 00:47:54,570 You know, even last night, getting stuff together, you stand in the garage, 519 00:47:54,890 --> 00:48:01,310 which, you know, everything, like everything around has a 520 00:48:01,310 --> 00:48:02,310 connection. 521 00:48:03,270 --> 00:48:05,250 Sorry, it must be really hard for you coming here. 522 00:48:05,960 --> 00:48:06,960 It is. 523 00:48:07,820 --> 00:48:12,100 Just being at the water was a place that he loved. 524 00:48:12,660 --> 00:48:14,060 He was an amazing kid. 525 00:48:14,640 --> 00:48:21,300 It wasn't hard to parent him because it was in his nature to be a good person. 526 00:48:21,540 --> 00:48:22,680 He loved people. 527 00:48:23,900 --> 00:48:24,900 Loved the outdoors. 528 00:48:26,240 --> 00:48:27,920 Loved his friends. Loved his family. 529 00:48:29,760 --> 00:48:31,080 And I know that he loved me. 530 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:39,220 I couldn't even put into words how much I loved him.