'It was just too much': 'Sextortion' bill pushed by dad who lost teen son to suicide over scam passes in the US
By Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh |
A US father is honouring his son's legacy, as his campaign to pass 'Gavin's Law', which aims to combat 'sextortion' in South Carolina by making it a felony offense, becomes law.
Gavin ?Guffey, 17, took his own life in July 2022 after falling victim to sexual extortion.
The freshly-graduated high schooler was targeted by a scammer on Instagram ?who posed as a girl to get him to send photos over the messaging app, only to then demand money for them not to be released.
"He was telling them he would get them more money, please don't send these images out กญ they didn't care," f?ather Brandon Guffey told CNN.
READ MORE: Mum's warning after terrifying blind cord incident
"I think in his mind it was just too much, and he didn't know how he would overcome that."
Gavin's traumatic 'sextortion' ordeal lasted only a few hours.
He first received a message from someone posing as a girl on Instagram who convinced him to turn on 'vanish mode' on the app, which makes the messages disappear.
?The scammer then sent Gavin a number of sexually explicit photos, asking for a few pictures of him in exchange.
After he sent the photos, the 'girl' revealed they were a scammer and quickly began demanding money from Gavin.
READ MORE: Molly's sore ankle turned out to be a deadly condition
The teenager pleaded that he only had $25 in his bank account, which he transferred to the person, though the scammer continued to threaten him for more. ?
It was after this that Gavin took his own life; his father was at home at the time.
Since his son's death nearly one year ago, Guffey has been using his position in politics to fight the dangers of 'sextortion' and it's impact on youth.
READ MORE: Heart-stopping home video shows moment dad rescues toddler son
When Gavin died, his father was in the midst of a successful run for state representative in South Carolina.
He was on the verge of pulling out from the race, though his wife convinced him ?to use his position to ensure what happened to their son doesn't happen to someone else's child.
"My wife said, 'Absolutely not. You're one of the few people that have a voice that can get out there and truly make a difference,'" he recalled.
Now all his work on getting 'Gavin's Law' passed is paying off and will finally start to protect other kids and teens from those who use sextortion as a form of scamming จC a crime that was responsible for taking Gavin's life. ?
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has now signed legislation named 'Gavin's Law', which makes sextortion a felony offense in South Carolina, and an aggravated felony offense when the victim is a minor.
Under the law, scammers will face up to five years in prison for a first offense.
READ MORE: Save hundreds on these must-have kitchen appliances
Sexual extortion, or 'sextortion,' cases have risen dramatically across the US in the past year.
In January, 2023 the FBI issued a safety alert to warn teenagers and their parents of the predators behind the scams revealing over 3,000 minor victims were targeted in 2022 across the United States.
If you or someone you know is seeking support and information about suicide prevention, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 46.
In an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).
For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.
/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F090f497c-9f78-4ee9-b8dc-196da7f32309)
