2 hours ago
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BBC
Mark and Ros Dowey person made a nonstop entreaty to criminals progressive successful sextortion
The parents of a British teen who took his ain beingness aft becoming a unfortunate of sextortion person made a nonstop entreaty to criminals successful Nigeria to halt "terrorising" the vulnerable.
Murray Dowey, from Dunblane, was lone 16 erstwhile he ended his beingness past year.
It is thought helium had been tricked by criminals successful West Africa into sending intimate pictures of himself and past blackmailed.
Murray’s parent and begetter besides condemned societal media companies for not doing capable to support young people, saying they person "blood connected their hands."
Sextortion often involves victims being sent a nude representation oregon video earlier being asked to nonstop their ain successful return.
They past person threats the worldly volition beryllium shared with household and friends unless they conscionable the blackmailer's demands - unit it is believed led Murray to instrumentality his ain life.
Murray Dowey was remembered by his parents arsenic a "lovely kid"
Mark and Ros Dowey person present recorded a video connection regarding the "cruel" crime.
They said: “You’re abusing children. You've ended Murray's life.
“How would they consciousness if it was their kid oregon their small member oregon their friend? I mean, it's truthful cruel, and this is children, and it's abuse”.
“You're terrorising people, children, for immoderate money, and I don't deliberation successful immoderate nine that is successful immoderate mode acceptable”.
Sextortion has become large concern successful Nigeria involving thousands of young men nicknamed “yahoo boys”.
Guides connected however to get progressive successful the transgression are openly for merchantability online, arsenic a BBC News probe revealed earlier this year.
A blackmailer told the BBC it was "survival of the fittest"
BBC News spent months communicating with a antheral successful Nigeria actively progressive successful sextortion, persuading him to springiness an penetration into this world.
He spoke to our colleagues successful Lagos connected information of anonymity.
He told them: “I cognize that it's bad, but I conscionable telephone it endurance of the fittest”
He described sextortion arsenic similar an “industry” and admitted helium treats it similar a game.
He added: “It depends connected the food you catch. You mightiness propulsion the hook successful the sea. You mightiness drawback tiny food oregon large fish."
However helium was past played Ros and Mark’s recorded connection and appeared shocked by it.
He said helium was "almost crying" and felt "very bad”.
Dowey family
Murray's parents had nary thought that thing was wrong, until they recovered him successful his room
However Murray’s parents don’t lone blasted the criminals for their son's death.
They clasp tech companies liable too.
Sextorters find their victims by targeting individuals connected societal media past utilizing their database of friends and followers successful their blackmail attempts.
Ros told BBC News: “I deliberation they've got humor connected their hands. The technologies are determination for them to halt truthful galore of these crimes.”
Mark believes Silicon Valley could bash much but that they won't arsenic it would outgo them money.
He added: "It volition halt them making much billions than they're making”.
'No accidental to intervene'
Analysis by the UK’s National Crime Agency recovered that each property groups and genders are being targeted, but that a large proportionality of victims are boys and aged betwixt 14 and 18.
Police judge determination is underreporting of the transgression due to the fact that victims are excessively frightened oregon embarrassed to travel forward.
Mark told the BBC his lad was "a truly beauteous kid" and that his parents had nary thought thing was wrong.
He said: "He went up to his room, and helium was perfectly fine. And you know, we recovered him dormant the adjacent morning”.
His parent Ros added: “We had nary accidental to intervene, to announcement determination was thing incorrect and effort and assistance and hole it”.
Ros and Mark Dowey are joining a run to pass young radical of the risks of sextortion
The Dowey household volition beryllium progressive successful a run motorboat successful Edinburgh later, informing young radical astir the dangers of sextortion.
As good arsenic telling them astir the risks of sharing intimate images online, the run - which volition bring unneurotic Police Scotland, Crimestoppers and the Scottish authorities - volition connection proposal connected what to bash and wherever to spell for assistance if idiosyncratic is targeted by criminals.
Mark and Ros told BBC News they had a connection for immoderate young idiosyncratic who finds themselves a unfortunate of sextortion.
The mates stated: “There's thing that is worthy taking your ain beingness for truthful if thing happens to you, enactment that telephone down and spell and get idiosyncratic you spot and archer them it's happened.”
“We can’t person this happening to much children, what happened to Murray."
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