A sextortion network traced to Lagos, Nigeria, has been linked to the death of a 16-year-old American schoolboy, Evan Boettler, who took his own life after receiving blackmail messages from a fake Snapchat account.
Boettler, from Missouri, died just 90 minutes after being threatened by an online user posing as a teenage girl under the name JennyTee60, according to a BBC investigation.
The account had persuaded him to share explicit images before demanding money and threatening to leak the pictures. One of the messages sent to him read: “I have your nudes and everything needed to ruin your life.”
Investigators later traced the Snapchat account to an IP address in Lagos, Nigeria, uncovering a web of cybercriminals locally known as Yahoo Boys. These groups, often operating from so-called “Hustle Kingdoms,” run organized sextortion and romance scams targeting young people in Western countries.
One of the scammers, identified only as Ola, described how they use fake identities generated online to deceive victims. “You open a female account using fake names from fake generators,” he said. When asked about remorse, he replied: “I don’t feel bad because I need the money.”
Authorities say the scammers primarily target teenage boys because they are more vulnerable to threats of exposure. Some networks have also turned to cyber-spiritualists, who allegedly perform rituals to protect scammers from arrest or increase their victims’ susceptibility.
The FBI reports that cases of sextortion in the United States more than doubled in recent years, with over 55,000 cases recorded in 2024. The UK’s National Crime Agency also receives an average of 110 sextortion reports each month.
Technology companies, including Meta and Snapchat, have pledged stronger safeguards. Meta said it has invested over $30 billion in safety measures, while Snapchat stated it has “zero tolerance for sextortion” and cooperates with law enforcement to identify offenders.
However, the investigation into Boettler’s death reportedly stalled after Nigerian telecommunications provider GloWorld failed to retain the data connected to the IP address used by the scammer.
Nearly two years later, Evan’s parents, Kari and Brad Boettler, say they are still seeking justice and hoping for stronger global efforts to combat online sexual exploitation.
