A 14-year-old boy from Southern British Columbia died by suicide after falling victim to a sextortion scheme, CBC News reported during a live broadcast. The boy, identified as Harry, was contacted by a scammer posing as a girl named “Bella” on Instagram.

According to his mother’s account during the broadcast, Harry disclosed he had shared images with the scammer who then demanded money. The family was alerted to the extortion attempt when the scammer sent threatening messages to another family member. The scammer threatened to share the images with Harry’s fellow cadets and commanding officer, fearing it would jeopardize his aspirations to attend the Royal Military College.

Harry died less than 12 hours after initial contact with the scammer. His parents expressed regret that they hadn’t asked what he was writing when he went to the garage, where he penned a suicide note.

Rising Trend of Sextortion Targeting Boys

CBC News reported that sextortion is on the rise, with Canada’s CyberTip receiving 50 to 80 reports weekly. A significant majority – 85% – of victims are boys. The broadcast detailed at least 50 reported cases of boys across North America, Australia, and the UK who have died by suicide after being targeted by sextortionists.

Other Canadian cases mentioned during the broadcast include Daniel Lintz (Manitoba), William Duaron (New Brunswick), and Carson Cleland (Northern B.C.). Experts believe the actual number of unreported cases is likely much higher.

Scam Tactics and Perpetrator Profile

Cybercrime analyst Paul Raphael, speaking on the CBC broadcast, analyzed the conversation between Harry and the scammer. He stated with “100% certainty” that “Bella” is a sextorter, noting the profile picture had been seen in previous cases. Raphael explained that scammers quickly attempt to move conversations to encrypted messaging platforms to avoid detection and account bans. He emphasized that this type of scam is particularly damaging, stating, “There’s no other scam that I think even compares to this.”