In a tragic incident highlighting the dark reality of online exploitation, 17-year-old track star James Woods fell victim to an online predator shortly after receiving his driver’s license and posing for his senior yearbook photo. Tamia Woods, James’ mother, revealed that her son received a staggering 200 messages in less than 20 hours on Instagram, ranging from disturbing threats to coercive tactics.
The FBI has classified James Woods’ experience as financial sextortion, a crime that targets minors, forcing them to share compromising images of themselves. Abbigail Beccaccio, unit chief for the FBI Child Exploitation Unit, emphasized that any child can be a victim of this crime, with perpetrators often operating internationally. The coercion typically occurs on various online platforms, including gaming and video-streaming platforms, as well as instant messaging apps.
The modus operandi of these predators is solely focused on financial gain, according to Beccaccio. Children, some as young as 9 years old, are pressured to send money under the threat of having compromising photos posted online. Disturbingly, between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI tracked approximately 12,600 sextortion victims, all of whom were minors. Tragically, at least 20 children, including James Woods, who were victims of sextortion, have died by suicide since 2021.
The FBI issued an alert in December 2022, describing a “staggering” sextortion scam that targeted over 3,000 boys. The scam often involved an individual posing as a woman using a fake account to lure victims into sending explicit material. Subsequently, the scammer threatened to release the material unless the victim paid money or provided gift card codes.
Beccaccio stressed the importance of public tips in aiding the FBI’s efforts to combat these crimes. “That’s the intelligence, that’s the information that we have that makes law enforcement have the ability to act,” she said.
The Woods family is bravely sharing their story to raise awareness and break the stigma surrounding sextortion. Tamia Woods lamented the loss of her only child, emphasizing the need for collective action to prevent further tragedies.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children advises parents and children to seek assistance before deciding whether to comply with extortion demands. The center recommends blocking the suspect but not deleting profiles or messages, as this information can be crucial in stopping the blackmailer.
