The mother of a 14-year-old boy who died by suicide says he was targeted in an online \u201csextortion\u201d scam.<\/p>\n
Parents often worry about their children\u2019s safety online, but it\u2019s impossible to monitor everything. Caleb Morgan\u2019s mother learned this the hardest way.<\/p>\n
On June 10, in El Dorado, Kansas, Caleb began chatting with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl on TikTok, later moving to Snapchat. According to the Daily Mail, the person sent compromising images and convinced Caleb to send photos back. The \u201cgirl\u201d then demanded large sums of money, threatening to leak his photos. Caleb\u2019s mother says the scammer made him feel his life was ruined.<\/p>\n
Caleb died by suicide at home shortly after. His father broke the news to his mother, who arrived as first responders were trying unsuccessfully to save him.<\/p>\n
The reason behind his death became clear only after police examined his phone and found the chats. His mother said the extortion \u201cstole my boy\u2019s happiness and hope in a 35-minute span,\u201d and that Caleb had even sent a photo of a gun in desperation.<\/p>\n
The FBI defines \u201csextortion\u201d as blackmail using sexual images to obtain money, sometimes beginning with a threat from criminals who claim to already have explicit material.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The mother of a 14-year-old boy who died by suicide says he was targeted in an online \u201csextortion\u201d scam. Parents often worry about their children\u2019s safety online, but it\u2019s impossible to monitor everything. Caleb Morgan\u2019s mother learned this the hardest way. On June 10, in El Dorado, Kansas, Caleb began chatting with someone he believed…<\/p>\n