A 35-year-old South Carolina man was charged in a 7-count indictment, alleging he engaged in attempted extortion, stalking, and five counts of wire fraud that led to the suicide of the victim in Michigan.
Daeward Boyd, 35, of Kershaw, South Carolina, committed these crimes from August 2-4, 2023.
According to the indictment, Boyd posed as an 18-year-old woman on a dating website, and he sent a nude image to the victim.
While continuing to pose as the woman, Boyd told the victim he was actually 15.
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Boyd then posed as the 15-year-old’s grandparents, telling the victim the grandparents would report the victim as a pedophile to his family, friends, and the police unless paid.
The indictment further alleges the victim died by suicide as a result of Boyd’s sextortion.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the family and loved ones of the victim at the center of this case, said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “Sextortionists use any means necessary to exploit and deceive their targets, counting on the victim’s feelings of shame and fear to achieve their goals. The FBI has several resources available to anyone who believes they may be a victim of a sextortion scheme. If you are uncomfortable reporting this crime to the FBI directly, you can rely on a trusted individual to do so on your behalf by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
The FBI provides the following six tips on how people can protect themselves from sextortion schemes:
- Be selective about what you share online. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you.
- Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
- Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that people are who they claim to be. Images can be altered or stolen. In some cases, predators have even taken over the social media accounts of their victims.
- Be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and this person asks you to start talking on a different platform.
- Be in the know. Any content you create online—whether it is a text message, photo, or video—can be made public. And nothing actually “disappears” online. Once you send something, you don’t have any control over where it goes next.
- Be willing to ask for help. If you are getting messages or requests online that don’t seem right, block the sender, report the behavior to the site administrator, or go to an adult. If you have been victimized online, tell someone.
If you have information about or believe you are a victim of sextortion, contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at http://tips.fbi.gov.
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