This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The father of a high school athlete who died by suicide in 2022 after becoming the victim of a sexual extortion, or “sextortion,” scam on Instagram believes the issue is much more dire than a recent FBI report suggests. 

The social media crime trend is called sextortion in which bad actors entice or solicit a minor to engage in sexual acts or send blackmail money, according to the FBI, which received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextotion involving at least 12,600 victims between October 2021 and March 2023.

“It is most alarming to me that it’s allowed to get that far,” John DeMay, Jordan DeMay’s father, told Fox News Digital. “And social media companies aren’t doing a whole lot to stop this, apparently, because that’s where it’s happening, and it’s happening a lot.”

The FBI also saw a 20% increase in sextortion incidents involving minors between October 2022 and March 2023.

“The consequences of sextortion are being felt across the country,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement last week. “In an effort to protect the American public, the FBI encourages parents, educators, caregivers, and children to learn more about the steps they can take to [FBI] 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20535 – 0001 shield themselves and their loved ones from this crime. We and our partners will relentlessly pursue criminals who perpetuate this deplorable activity.”

DeMay encouraged victims to come forward if they become the victim of a sextortion crime. If one victim comes forward, DeMay said, there is a greater chance of authorities identifying a suspect.

If a person believes they have been victimized by a sextortion scheme, DeMay added, they should immediately ignore the suspect and save any conversations they may have had with that person online so that authorities can sift through it and eventually use it as evidence. 

“It’s a puzzle,” DeMay said. “I spent some time in law enforcement earlier and … it’s what needs to happen. The FBI isn’t a very large agency, but they’re very effective. And they build cases by cross-referencing data. And sometimes it’s like a puzzle. Sometimes you just need that one other piece to really put the whole center of that puzzle together.”

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has created a free service called “Take it Down,” which is meant to help victims of sextortion erase explicit images of victims or get bad actors to stop sharing them online. The tool can be accessed at https://takeitdown.ncmec.org.

The FBI encourages anyone who believes they may be the victim of sextortion or know someone who may be a victim to immediately contact local law enforcement or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.