Elijah Hecock is a vibrant teenager who makes people smile. "He was not depressed, he was not sad, he was not angry, he was not angry," Father John Burnett told CBS Saturday morning.

But everything changed when Elijah received a threatening text, asking him to pay $3,000 to avoid sending it to friends and family. CBS KFDA reported that he died of suicide shortly after receiving the news. Burnett and Elijah's mother Shannon Heacock didn't know what was going on until they found the message on the phone.

Elijah is a victim Sextile scambad actors are targeting young people online and threatening to release their clear images. Scammers often ask for money or coerce the victim to perform harmful behavior. Elijah's parents said they had never even heard of the term until they investigated his death.

"People behind our kids are organized," Burnett said. "They are well-funded and relentless. They don't need real photos, they can produce everything they want and use it to blackmail the kids."

The Origin of the Sexttort Scam

Reports on the program have surged: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says it received more than 500,000 reports of Sexttort scams targeting minors last year. The FBI estimates that at least 20 young people have claimed their lives since 2021.

NCMEC said in 2023 that teenage boys are targeted. Generated AI Service, these images don't even need to be real. The group said more than 100,000 reports were submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children this year.

"At this point, you don't really need any technical skills to create this illegal and harmful material," said Dr. Rebecca Portnoff, head of data science at Thorn. Just look for how to make nude photos of someone to bring search results to applications, websites, and other resources, Portnoff said.

The crisis seems to be very strong. But there are solutions, Potnov said. Thorn has its own initiative to “design security” outlines the obstacles that AI companies should set when developing technology. Thorne said the barriers are designed to help reduce decomposition. Thorne said a few major AI companies have agreed to the campaign principles.

"The real, tangible solutions that do exist today can help prevent this abuse," Portnoff said.

Government entities are also struggling to fight decomposition. Recently hunted "Knockdown" billUnder Melania Trump's support, President Trump signed the law that made it a federal crime to release sexually explicit images of real and fake sexually explicit people without consent. The law also requires social media companies and other websites to delete such images within 48 hours required by the victim.

Elijah’s parents said they never wanted other families to suffer as much as they did. CBS campaigner Wllky reported that they were fighting for change. They said they hope "Knockdown" bill Will make a difference.

"It's kind of like a bullet in war. It won't win a war," Burnett said. "No one bullet has ever won any war. You have to win the battle. You have to win the battle. We're in it."