Bay Fortune, Prince Edward Island – A CBC News report detailed the tragic death of Harry Burke, a 17-year-old cadet who took his own life after being targeted in a sextortion scheme. His parents, Carl Burke and Barbie Lavers, spoke to CBC News about the ordeal.

According to the broadcast, Harry initially told his father he was messaging a girl on Instagram who appeared to be around his age and from Nova Scotia. He later confessed to sharing intimate images, after which he was threatened with their distribution unless money was paid.

During a family meeting, the scammer sent a message threatening to “destroy” Harry. The scammer continued to harass Harry into the night, threatening to share his photos with other cadets and his commanding officer. Harry feared the impact on his aspirations to attend the Royal Military College.

His mother, Barbie Lavers, recounted finding Harry writing a note, and expressed regret for not asking what he was writing. The family does not blame each other, but carries significant guilt, according to the broadcast.

Rise in Sextortion Cases

CyberTip, Canada’s child exploitation tip line, receives 50 to 80 reports of sextortion weekly. The CBC report stated that 85% of victims are male. Harry is one of more than 50 boys across North America, Australia, and the UK who have died by suicide after being targeted by sextortionists since 2021. Other reported Canadian cases include Daniel Lintz (Manitoba), William Duaron (New Brunswick), Carson Cleland (Northern BC), and a 14-year-old from Southern BC.

Paul Raphael, a cybercrime analyst, told CBC News that sextortion is “the worst scam in the world.” He analyzed the conversation between Harry and the scammer, identifying the profile used – under the name “Bella” – as belonging to a known sextortionist. Raphael explained that scammers quickly move targets to encrypted messaging platforms to avoid detection.

CBC News attempted to confront the scammers. A scammer using the “Bella” profile, when contacted, identified themselves as “John” and admitted to scamming people, stating it was due to their lack of money. The broadcast indicated that many of these scams originate from Nigeria.

Raphael stated that most Canadian deaths linked to sextortion have connections to Nigeria, describing it as a “national security emergency” as well as a public safety one.