Thomas found connection online after moving to a rural village with no friends nearby. Then things started to spiral
Children in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers
“I still describe them as the best friend I’ve had.”
Thomas* knows how it sounds, but it’s his honest description of what he initially thought was an online friendship with another teenager who, just as he did, felt lonely and like he didn’t quite fit in at school.
It was only after Thomas had come to trust and rely on this online friend that the interaction shifted to a protracted extortion, with nightly demands for intimate images under threat of exposure. It’s an experience that brought him to the brink of suicide and, seven years later, still prompts a wash of fear when an unexpected notification flashes up on his phone.
