Nigerian scammers sentenced over case which led to NSW teen’s suicide

A global investigation involving state and federal police has led to the conviction of two crooks for their role in a horrific sextortion scheme that drove a NSW boy to suicide.

A Nigerian court on Wednesday sentenced two men, aged 25 and 29, to more than 40 years in prison for their roles in the fraud. For the first time, Australia has played a role in convicting sextortion scammers overseas.

Two Nigerian fraudsters have been convicted following action by NSW police, AFP and local authorities.

high school age boy He committed suicide in 2023 After coming into contact with a “girl” who encouraged him to reciprocate sexualized photos. The “girl” sent a suggestive photo and the boy sent one back.

But NSW police said the tone of social media messages changed immediately and radically to “high-pressure threats and demands”.

The “girl” immediately demanded $500 in gift cards online and threatened to distribute nude photos of herself to her family and schoolmates if she did not comply.

Hours later, the teenager killed himself.

reporter In accordance with his family’s wishes, he chose not to specify the young man’s age or city.

While investigating her death and preparing evidence for the coroner, NSW Police found the messages leading to her suicide and, together with the State Crime Command’s cybercrime team, established a strike force Prescription to trace the conspirators to Nigeria.

Detectives discovered Nigerian fraudsters were using a “nonsense” approach to target large numbers of children in exchange for relatively small amounts of money.

Cybercrime detectives requested assistance from the Australian Federal Police, who liaised with the Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Center (JPC3); The center also worked with the special cybercrime liaison officer in South Africa to share intelligence with Nigerian authorities.

The two crooks were tracked to a crowded slum in Lagos, Nigeria, and arrested there.istock

They managed to narrow the fraudster’s online trail to the massive slums of Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, home to 25 million people.

In March 2024, local police raided. The Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two men and charged them with sexual extortion, fraud and money laundering.

On Wednesday, two years after their arrest, the pair were sentenced to more than 40 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 10 years.

Detective Acting Inspector Jason Smith, Commander of the State Crime Command’s Cyber Crime Team, said the investigation was initially directed at Australian law enforcement.

“This investigation has pushed Australia’s cybercrime capability into new areas, using innovative techniques and unprecedented international cooperation, directly leading to the detection and conviction of criminals abroad,” he said.

“Any person who targets Australians online can be identified, tracked and brought to justice anywhere in the world.”

AFP Detective Commissioner Andrea Humphrys, based in Pretoria, South Africa, thanked the “dogged” work of the state and the Nigerian police.

“This result highlights the importance of international cooperation in law enforcement, with these criminals facing a combined maximum prison sentence of more than 80 years for their role in a heinous crime that unfortunately claimed the life of a young Australian,” he said.

“I hope our collective work has brought some relief through justice to this young man’s family.”

The Australian Federal Police have issued a warning in 2024 about the rise of online “sadistic” blackmail, where children as young as 12 are being forced to produce sexually explicit material to gain acceptance into extreme online communities.

Criminals will then threaten to share the material with their family or friends unless the victim produces more videos and extreme content. They will “relentlessly demand” content of increasing seriousness, including specific live sex, acts, animal cruelty, serious self-harm and live online suicide.

The eSafety Commissioner’s office has observed an “alarming” increase in sextortion cases. Reports to eSafety increased from 432 in 2018-19 to 6,187 in 2022-23, an increase of 1332 percent.

Anyone needing support can contact Lifeline at 13 11 14 (lifeline.org.au), Suicide Callback Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au)