Every Parent Needs to Talk to Their Teen About the Yahoo Boys
They’re known as the “Yahoo Boys” — a term emanating from the late 1990s and early 2000s when schemers in Nigeria would use Yahoo email to try and scam unsuspecting people out of their money via the internet.
Those of a certain age will remember versions of the nonsense: A Nigerian prince needs help claiming a fortune and somehow has chosen you to help him unlock the funds. Of course, you’ll be rewarded handsomely for the assistance.
A quarter-century later, though, they’re “sextortionists” — fraudsters in Nigeria and other countries in West Africa who are tragically blackmailing teen boys.
Ben Gillenwater, also known as the “Family IT Guy,” is a cybersecurity expert (and also a father) who says his mission in life is to help mothers and fathers and children navigate the increasingly dangerous minefield of the digital world.
Gillenwater was a recent guest on Allie Beth Stuckey’s “Relatable” podcast and explained the con that’s ruining lives — and in the case of a young man in Michigan, even taking them.
“They identify weakness in people,” he told Stuckey, noting they specifically target teenage boys.
“What they’ll do is, they’ll find the profile of a girl in a nearby town, and then will message the teenage boy, [writing] ‘Hey, I go to high school over here, you go to high school over here, how’s it going,’ and then flirt and whatnot. And then eventually ‘the girl’ will send a naked picture.”
The teen boy is then asked to send a naked photograph — and the blackmail begins.
“They study all of your friends on Instagram and gather up your whole network,” Gillenwater explained. “They know everybody you go to school with. They know everybody you go to church with. They know every family member. And then that’s how they blackmail you. They’re going to send your naked photo to all those people [if you don’t send money].”
Jordan DeMay was a 17-year-old senior at Marquette Senior High School in Michigan when he received a message on Instagram from an individual claiming to be a teenage girl. He was convinced to send an explicit photo. The blackmailing began immediately. DeMay, who was a top student athlete and homecoming king, sent $300 — and the “Yahoo Boys” demanded $1000 more.
Jordan DeMay died by suicide six hours later.
Sadly, the rise of “sexting” even outside of online scams has made this type of cybercrime an easier trap for teenagers. When you normalize sin, more people fall for it.
Our team has put together a few suggestions on how best to warn and educate children about this escalating and dangerous threat:
• If your teen doesn’t have a cell phone, hold off giving him or her one for as long as possible. If you do decide to allow them to have a phone, give them one without a camera.
• Warn your child in no uncertain terms about the dangers of sexting. Make the discussion part of a larger, comprehensive conversation about sex, sexual attitudes, sexual morality, dating, and the consequences of pre-marital sexual activity.
• Point out that there are serious emotional, psychological, and spiritual risks associated with this kind of counterfeit intimacy. Remind them that digital images don’t go away. Once they’re “out there,” there are a number of ways that sexually explicit photos can be captured, stored, and shared — and probably will be.
Know the warning signs: As a parent, you have a responsibility to keep tabs on your child’s online activities and cyber-behavior. Here are a few indicators that you may have a problem on your hands:
• Your child spends large amounts of time online or on the phone, especially at night
• You find pornography on your child’s computer or suggestive photos on their phone
• Your child receives phone calls or text messages from people you don’t know or makes calls to numbers you don’t recognize
• Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don’t know
• Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen when you enter the room
• Your child becomes withdrawn from the family
• Your child is using an online account belonging to someone else
The old adage that to be “forewarned is to be forearmed” is a fitting framework for mothers and fathers raising teenagers today.
