The afternoon that 15-year Bryce Tate was sextorted started off as a perfectly normal Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Cross Lanes, W. Va., sophomore came home from the gym on November 6, scarfed down a plate of tacos prepared by his mom, then went outside to shoot hoops. At 4:37 p.m., he received a text message from a strange number.<\/p>\n
Three hours later, Bryce was found in his dad\u2019s man cave \u2014 dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.<\/p>\n
Fifteen-year-old Bryce Tate of Cross Roads, W. Va., took his own life on November 6 after being victim of a sadistic sextortion plot. courtesy of Adam Tate<\/p>\n
Bryce, an athlete and honor roll student seen here with dad Adam and mom Amanda, was described as a \u201cgoofy kid\u201d with an infectious smile. courtesy of Adam Tate<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say it\u2019s suicide, but in my book it is 100% murder,\u201d Bryce\u2019s father, Adam Tate, told The Post. \u201cThey\u2019re godless demons, in my opinion. Just cowards, awful individuals, worse than criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to his dad, Bryce was apparently the latest victim of a vicious sextortion scheme targeting teen boys \u2014\u00a0one that law enforcement says is surging. <\/p>\n
A representative for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told The Post the group tracked over 33,000 reports of child sextortion in 2024 alone \u2014\u00a0with nearly that number reported in the first six months of this year.<\/p>\n
Online scammers scour public social media profiles to learn about a teen, then pose as a flirtatious peer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey acted like a local 17-year-old girl. They knew which gym he worked out at, they knew a couple of his best friends and name-dropped them. They knew he played basketball for Nitro High School,\u201d Adam said. \u201cThey built his trust to where he believed that this was truly somebody in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bryce\u2019s case bears the hallmarks of being perpetrated by the notorious international child exploitation ring known as 764, which has tentacles in Russia, Europe, Africa and the US. courtesy of Adam Tate<\/p>\n
Within three hours of allegedly receiving the first threatening text message, Bryce had shot himself. courtesy of Adam Tate<\/p>\n
The Post is told that the photos Bryce received were not AI-generated but most likely of a real girl who was another victim.<\/p>\n
Scammers then ask for illicit photos in return and, once they have them, extort the victim for money by threatening to show the pics to family and friends.<\/p>\n
For Bryce, that sum was $500.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son had 30 freaking dollars and he\u2019s like, \u2018Sir, I\u2019ll give you my last $30.\u2019 And these cowards wouldn\u2019t take it,\u201d a tearful Adam told The Post, recounting his son\u2019s final exchange.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey acted like a local 17-year-old girl. They knew which gym he worked out at, they knew a couple of his best friends and name-dropped them. They knew he played basketball for Nitro High School,\u201d Adam Tate said of the scammer who allegedly lured his son online. courtesy of Adam Tate<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FBI has seen a huge increase in the number of sextortion cases involving children and teens being threatened and coerced into sending explicit images online,\u201d FBI public affairs specialist Bradford Arick told The Post of cases courtesy of Adam Tate<\/p>\n
If the target doesn\u2019t have the money to send via untraceable methods like gift cards, cryptocurrency or apps like Cash App or Venmo, the extortionists threaten violence and, in Bryce\u2019s alleged case, outright encourage the victim to kill himself \u201cbecause your life is already over.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the last 20 minutes of Bryce\u2019s life, he was messaged 120 times, a tactic to keep teens feverishly engaged \u2014 creating a \u201ctunnel vision to where you can\u2019t set your phone down,\u201d Adam said authorities told him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FBI has seen a huge increase in the number of sextortion cases involving children and teens being threatened and coerced into sending explicit images online,\u201d FBI public affairs specialist Bradford Arick told The Post. \u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2022, Mississippi high school football star\u00a0Walker Montgomery<\/a>, 16, committed suicide in a story nearly identical to Bryce\u2019s, after he was contacted on Instagram by a \u201cgirl\u201d who turned out to be a Nigerian scam artist.<\/p>\n Bryce\u2019s dad said his alleged extortionists told him to kill himself \u201cbecause your life is already over.\u201d courtesy of Adam Tate<\/p>\n Adam and Bryce carved pumpkins just days before the teen was threatened by scammers, his dad said. courtesy of Adam Tate<\/p>\n That same year, 16-year-old Waylon Scheffer of Montana, 17-year-old Ryan Last<\/a> of California; and 17-year-old Jordan DeMay<\/a> of Michigan, all took their lives after being contacted by East African-based scammers who had proxies operating in the US.<\/p>\n There have so far been no arrests in connection to Montgomery or Sheffer\u2019s deaths.<\/p>\n Jonathan Kassi, 25, was sentenced to 18 months for his role in Last\u2019s death; authorities say the Californian was working as a money mule for Ivory Coast scammers.<\/p>\n Two Nigerian brothers\u00a0\u2014 Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, 22 and 20 \u2014 were\u00a0extradited to the US<\/a>\u00a0and sentenced to 17 years for their role in running the sextortion ring connected to DeMay\u2019s death.<\/p>\n In 2022, Mississippi high school football star\u00a0Walker Montgomery, 16, committed suicide in a story nearly identical to Bryce\u2019s, after he was contacted on Instagram by a \u201cgirl\u201d who turned out to be a Nigerian scam artist. Courtesy of Brian Montgomery<\/p>\n After 17-year-old Jordan DeMay took his own life, two Nigerian brothers were\u00a0extradited to the US\u00a0and sentenced to 17 years for their role in running the sextortion ring connected to his death. Courtesy DeMay family<\/p>\n Children as young as 11 have fallen victim to the scheme, according to the FBI.<\/p>\n While the FBI won\u2019t comment on specifics in Bryce\u2019s case, citing the ongoing investigation, the sadistic nature of the communications he received are emblematic of the teen sextortion ring known as 764, which has tentacles in Russia, Europe, Africa and the US.<\/p>\n On December 3, five US-based members of 764 offshoot\u00a0Greggy\u2019s Cult<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 including one Navy sailor\u00a0\u2014 were indicted by the Department of Justice. In a\u00a0press release<\/a>\u00a0last month, the FBI described 764 as a \u201cviolent online network that seeks to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of\u00a0vulnerable populations, which often include minors.\u201d<\/p>\n US Attorney General Pam Bondi called the network \u201cone of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered \u2014 a network built on terror, abuse and the deliberate targeting of children.\u201d<\/p>\n