Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A grieving mother from El Dorado, Kansas, has shared that her 14-year-old son, Caleb Moore, tragically ended his own life after falling prey to a ‘sextortion’ scam.
On June 10, Caleb began chatting with an individual he believed to be a ’14-year-old girl’ on TikTok, later transitioning their conversation to Snapchat.
Caleb’s mother, Morgan, reports that the person allegedly sent explicit images of herself to Caleb, who reciprocated by sending his own photographs.
Subsequently, the ‘girl’ reportedly started blackmailing him, demanding a significant amount of money under the threat of exposing the photos.
Morgan explained that the scammer made Caleb believe his life was over due to this mistake, leading him to take his own life with a firearm at home.
After receiving a call from Caleb’s father, Morgan arrived to find her son still alive but was informed that resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. “He passed away in the house,” she said, adding that she was not allowed inside to be with him due to the circumstances. “I was hysterical and screaming and begging them to not give up on my boy and let me go to him. I was inconsolable,” she recounted.
The initial confusion regarding Caleb’s actions was clarified when the El Dorado Police Department reviewed his phone and uncovered the concerning conversations.
Morgan shared, “That is when they had gone through his TikTok messages and showed me the progression. It had stolen my boy’s happiness and hope in a 35-minute span.” She noted that in desperation, Caleb even sent a photo of a gun to cease the threats.
According to the FBI, a ‘sextortion’ scam involves the perpetrator coercing the victim with explicit images to extort money.
The El Dorado Police Department confirmed the interaction began on TikTok before moving to a different platform, where the images were exchanged.
TikTok has stated to LADbible Group that they are devoted to ensuring a secure and positive environment for teenagers, explaining that direct messaging is not available for users under 16.
They further stated that adults cannot send message requests to minors, and users in the US are unable to send off-platform images within direct messaging. Additionally, when users receive a message from a new contact, they are prompted to mark the chat as safe or report it. TikTok clarifies that messaging on their platform lacks end-to-end encryption, making it less appealing for sharing explicit content.
Snapchat highlights that they have robust security measures for users between 13 and 17 years old, automatically setting accounts to private and permitting communication only with accepted friends or contacts already saved in their phone.
They also offer a Family Safety Hub to assist families in navigating their platform safely.
It remains unclear if Caleb listed his actual age on his social media profiles.
Morgan urges children to inform a trusted adult if they feel unsafe online. “I don’t know how to stress enough to children to tell someone your parents about it or another trusted adult. You just have to tell someone because they purposely make it seem like they have so much more power than they do,” she emphasized.
“You need to battle the false communication between the scammer and your child with open conversation with you and your child,” she advised.
An El Dorado Police representative expressed, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Moore family during this difficult time. We admire the incredible strength and courage that this family has shown through the tragedy that they have suffered.”
“We strongly support the fact that the family has made it a priority to share this story with others in an effort to protect the lives of other children and we intend to support this family in every way possible,” the spokesperson added.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist Caleb’s family with funeral expenses, which can be accessed here.
LADbible Group has reached out to Snapchat for additional comments.
If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, help can be found through Mental Health America by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
For immediate mental health support, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential service available 24/7.