INTERVIEW: Sextortion with Brittney Bird

Summary

Podcast Summary: INTERVIEW: Sextortion with Brittany Byrd

Introduction

In this deeply moving episode of Scams, Money & Murder, host Nicole Lapin delves into the harrowing world of sextortion with guest Brittany Byrd. Released on August 14, 2025, this episode sheds light on the devastating impact of online exploitation on teenagers, culminating in the tragic suicide of Brittany's 15-year-old son, Braden. Through Brittany's courageous recounting, listeners gain insight into the mechanics of sextortion, the emotional toll on victims and their families, and the legislative efforts spearheaded to combat such crimes.

Guest’s Story: Braden Byrd’s Life

Brittany Byrd opens up about her son Braden, painting a picture of a vibrant, talented teenager with a promising future. Braden was an avid baseball and skiing enthusiast, participating in travel ball for years and recently taking up skiing at Rib Mountain. "He was doing backflips, front flips, everything that terrified me as a parent. But as a 14-year-old kid, he was like, this is awesome," Brittany shares (07:12).

Braden was not only athletic but also academically gifted. "He was super smart... one of those smart kids where they know that they can kind of be annoying because they'll still understand what's going on in class," Brittany describes. His aspirations included attending college, securing a stable job, and possibly moving to Colorado to become a ski instructor. His creative side was evident through his artwork, which Brittany honors by having his last drawing tattooed on her arm (07:07).

The Crime: Sextortion Unveiled

The podcast transitions to the dark reality of sextortion, where perpetrators blackmail victims by threatening to release explicit images unless money is paid. Brittany recounts Braden's encounter with sextortion: "He sent them $300, and that wasn't enough," she explains (15:22). The scammers, often operating through social media platforms like Facebook, establish a false sense of security by creating fake profiles with mutual friends before moving the conversation to encrypted apps like Telegram (14:00).

Brittany emphasizes the rapid escalation of these threats, noting that in Braden's case, the demands and psychological pressure led to his untimely death within a span of four hours. "The more I learn about this along the way, it's pretty much the same thing. These people go off of scripts that they're given by people who train them on how to extort people online," she explains (18:03).

The Aftermath: Loss and Community Support

The discovery of Braden's suicide note, which implored that the perpetrators "make sure he gets caught" (10:11), was a pivotal moment for Brittany. She immediately reported the incident to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the FBI, initiating a collaborative investigation. The local community rallied around Brittany and her family, providing immense support through memorials, donations, and heartfelt messages. "Our community has been absolutely outstanding," Brittany reflects (20:28).

Advocacy and Braden's Law: Fighting Back

Driven by grief and a desire to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy, Brittany became an advocate for legislative change. In April 2025, she introduced Braden's Law to the Wisconsin legislature, aiming to criminalize sextortion more effectively and impose harsher penalties on perpetrators. "Putting this law in place will hopefully at least make them think twice about trying to come to Wisconsin," Brittany states (24:16).

Braden's Law reclassifies sextortion as a separate charge with severe consequences, especially when it involves minors. "If the death is someone under 18, they're going to do an additional 15 or 20 years," she explains (26:36). The law received unanimous bipartisan support, highlighting the urgent need for robust measures against online predators.

Current Status: Progress and Challenges

The investigation into Braden's sextortion case involves both international and domestic defendants. Two individuals from Nigeria were extradited and sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for their roles in the crime, while five US-based defendants face charges related to money laundering associated with the extortion. Brittany remains hopeful for further convictions but acknowledges the lengthy and complex nature of such cases. "They have to backtrack through everything... it's a very complicated process," she notes (27:25).

Advice for Parents and Caregivers: Protecting Children Online

Throughout the interview, Brittany offers crucial advice for parents and caregivers to safeguard their children from online threats:

1. Open Communication: "Don't make them feel ashamed. If you feel like your child is going through this... love them despite it in the moment," Brittany advises (46:04).

2. Monitor Online Activity: "Check their settings, get into their stuff," she emphasizes, highlighting the importance of parental controls and privacy settings (39:29).

3. Educate About Risks: Brittany stresses the necessity of preparing children for potential online dangers rather than underestimating their likelihood of encountering such threats. "Your kids are going to do stupid stuff... they're going to mess up," she asserts (37:01).

Broader Implications: The Role of Social Media and Technology

Brittany critiques social media companies for their inadequate measures in preventing fake accounts and protecting minors. She calls for amendments to Section 230, which currently shields these platforms from liability for third-party content. "It needs to be amended so it doesn't envelop that piece to let these predators know I can get through on this website because they're letting me through," she argues (44:25).

Additionally, Brittany touches on the emerging threat of AI-generated images, which can exacerbate sextortion by creating realistic but false representations of minors. "They're finding like, you know, the quickest ways to do this and they're following it just as much as we are," she warns (50:56).

Conclusion: Legacy and Continuing the Fight

Brittany envisions Braden's legacy as one of resilience and advocacy. "I want people to remember him as the kid who was amazing... his life is going to change others because it's going to save them along the way," she shares (48:45). Her relentless efforts to raise awareness and push for legislative changes aim to create a safer online environment for future generations.

Brittany's story is a poignant reminder of the profound consequences of online exploitation and the urgent need for comprehensive measures to protect our youth. Through her advocacy and the enactment of Braden's Law, she strives to ensure that Braden's legacy transcends his tragic loss, fostering a world where such atrocities are effectively prevented and prosecuted.

Timestamps

• [07:07] Brittany Byrd discusses Braden’s aspirations and creativity.
• [14:00] Brittany explains how scammers operate on social media.
• [15:22] Braden’s financial entanglement with sextortionists.
• [18:03] Brittany elaborates on the psychological pressure leading to Braden’s suicide.
• [20:28] Community support following Braden’s death.
• [24:16] Introduction of Braden's Law in the Wisconsin legislature.
• [26:36] Details on the penalties under Braden's Law.
• [27:25] Challenges in apprehending sextortionists.
• [37:01] Brittany’s advice on monitoring children’s online activity.
• [39:29] Warning signs for parents regarding sextortion.
• [44:25] Discussion on amending Section 230 to hold social media companies accountable.
• [46:04] Brittany’s advice to parents on handling sextortion incidents.
• [48:45] Brittany’s hopes for Braden’s legacy.
• [50:56] The evolving threat of AI in sextortion.

Final Thoughts

This episode of Scams, Money & Murder serves as a crucial educational tool, highlighting the severe emotional and societal impacts of modern financial crimes like sextortion. Through Brittany Byrd's heartfelt narrative, listeners are not only informed about the mechanics and dangers of such scams but also inspired to take proactive measures in safeguarding their children and advocating for necessary legal reforms.

Transcript

[Nicole Lapin]

Hey there, it's Nicole Lapman, host of the Crime House Original Scams, Money and Murder. If you are loving this show, you don't want to miss our fellow Crime House Original podcast Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes. Every Wednesday you'll get to explore the true stories behind the world's most shocking crimes, deadly ideologies and secret plots. From mass suicides and political assassinations to secret government experiments and UFO cults. Follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen. And for ad free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Brittany Byrd]

This is Crime House and a quick.

[Nicole Lapin]

Note to our listeners. This episode discusses sensitive topics including suicide and the online exploitation of minors. It's a very emotional, emotional conversation, but an incredibly important one.

[Unknown]

Please use discretion when listening.

[Brittany Byrd]

As soon as the photo is sent, then they're immediately like, I'm about to ruin your life. Send me money. In our case, Brayden did send money. He sent them $300 and that wasn't enough. We have to scream from the rooftops until everybody knows. And so every kid knows. You make mistakes. We help fix them. That is just. That's the way it is. Part of my heart is missing for the rest of my life.

[Nicole Lapin]

As they say, money makes the world go round. What many don't talk about is the time it made people's worlds come to a screeching halt. Whether it's greed, desperation or a thirst for power, money can make even the most unassuming people do unthinkable things. And sometimes those acts can be deadly. This is Scams, Money and Murder. A Crime House original. I'm your host, Nicole Lapin. Every Thursday we alternate between covering infamous money motivated crimes and gripping interviews with the experts or those who are directly involved themselves. Crime House exists because of you. Please rate, review and follow Scams, Money and Murder wherever you get your podcasts. And for early ad free access and bonus content, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts.

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[Nicole Lapin]

The digital age has given us instant connection and endless information at our fingertips. But beneath that convenience, the Internet has also become a hotbed for scams. Sextortion is where predators blackmail victims, often teenagers, by threatening to release explicit images unless they send money. This crime is designed to exploit and terrify victims, and it all happens very fast. Oftentimes, like today's case, this scam happens before parents even realize the danger that their children are facing. Sextortion is underreported as fear and shame often keep victims silent. If you or a loved one are a victim of sextortion, block the person immediately, but do not delete the message. To report child sexual exploitation, call your local law enforcement and visit report.cybertip.org you can find this link and other resources in the description for this episode. Our guest today is Brittany Byrd. Her 15 year old son, Braden became a victim of sextortion, and tragically, the crime pushed him to take his own life.

[Unknown]

Brittany, thank you so, so much for joining me today to talk about Braden's story.

[Brittany Byrd]

Yeah, of course. I'm just so grateful that we have people behind us who want to continue to share this and help us get this message out. Because how else do people know, you know, we didn't.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Brittany Byrd]

So I'm just, I'm so grateful that we even had the opportunity to do that.

[Unknown]

My God, I'm so grateful to you. Thank you for the good fight and thank you for doing what you do.

[Nicole Lapin]

To help educate other parents about this.

[Unknown]

I'm a brand new parent and, you know, I feel like I'm already gonna start CR with the entire story.

[Nicole Lapin]

I'd love to just start with a.

[Unknown]

Little bit about Braden. Tell me about him.

[Brittany Byrd]

So, I mean, you can kind of see we're in his space right now. He was a big baseball player. He played for years. We did travel ball, so we had the whole travel ball family. We've kind of, you know, all been together for the last five summers, all summer. So this summer was a lot different. He skied. He just started skiing. We have. It's called Rib Mountain, but it used to be called Rib Hill. It's not actually a mountain, but a lot of people come here to ski it. And Braden just in the last two years, decided he wanted to ski. He was snowboarding before that, and he was amazing at it. He was doing backflips, front flips, everything that terrified me as a parent. But as a 14 year old kid. He's like, this is awesome. He's super smart. Just such a smart kid. But, you know, one of those smart kids where they know that they can kind of be annoying because they'll still understand what's going on in class. He was one of those. I had lots of conversations with teachers, but still everybody just loved him.

[Unknown]

What were some of his hopes and plans for the immediate future?

[Brittany Byrd]

He had actually just told me, man, I think it was February sometime. He had messaged me and he was at work. He was talking about how he wanted to go to college and get a good job. And he's like, I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck. I mean, he's 15, so he's already thinking. And he worked at the grocery store, so he definitely had dreams and goals. And he was kind of, you know, floating the idea of moving to like, Colorado or something like that. And I'm like, that would be awesome. You could be a ski instructor there. You could, you know, you could do those things that you love all day. And he was just really excited about his future, and he definitely planned on having one.

[Unknown]

I know that you have his last drawing tattooed on your arm. Can I see it or can you?

[Brittany Byrd]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

And can you tell us a little bit about his creative side and what this piece means?

[Brittany Byrd]

So this was actually. And I also have, right above that, that was the amount of days that he was alive. I added. Had that added on. So I had taken. This was on a white piece of paper and I took it to the celebration of life. And his art teacher had brought me this cube that he had made. Not a cube, like a geometric shape thing with this drawing. And he colored it in, and that's where the colors came from. And I told her, I said, I just found this in his boulder last night. And she showed me a thing. She's like, this is what it is. Like, I brought it for you. I find his little doodling all over the place. I was looking through his just notebooks and stuff. And he's 100% like me with little stars all over our hearts or squigglies. He was definitely a super creative kid. He had talked multiple times about wanting to try to do some clothing line type stuff for skiers. He had big plans.

[Unknown]

And you've shared that Brayden talked to you about everything. And when you say everything, you mean things that you didn't even want to.

[Brittany Byrd]

Know as a mom.

[Unknown]

Can you elaborate on some of that closeness and what it meant for your relationship?

[Brittany Byrd]

It literally was Things that I didn't want to know, but I'm glad that I did know about because our relationship was so close. I'm like that with my daughter, too. She actually just turned nine in March. But for me, it's not about, you know, dancing around the uncomfortable things, like we have to talk about it and have an actual dialogue about it. So you understand, and I know what you're going through, and you know that every step of the way, I'm here. There was a summer where he had reached out to me via text message from downstairs in his room. He said, things are getting pretty serious with my girlfriend. We're going to be in high school soon. I just might need something just to be safe. And I'm thinking, you are not doing this. You are still this shy little nugget. But okay. I'm like, I'm glad you came to me. And he kept saying, I know this is awkward. I know it's awkward. He said, yeah, it's awkward. But if we can't have those conversations, then I can't guide you on how to be safe and when to be safe and, you know, what. What types of things you need to do to be safe. I said, so it might be awkward, but we have to talk about it. Last summer, I was at a concert with one of my best friends, and we were out of town, probably like an hour and a half away. I got a phone call at 5am from Braden, and he was very upset. He was crying, and he had told me that his girlfriend broke up with him. So he was on the phone with her, you know, all evening. And I was the one who he called when he needed, you know, that comfort. That's just how we were.

[Unknown]

Yeah, sounds like so close. Brittany, I can't imagine what it was like when you discovered Braden's suicide note, which contained the words, make sure he gets caught.

[Nicole Lapin]

You guys talked about everything.

[Unknown]

Did you have any idea what he was talking about?

[Brittany Byrd]

I knew when we saw the note that it was something that was not having to do with him or a girlfriend or a friend or mental state or anything. He talks to me about everything. He's not depressed. He had plans that day. On the 5th, he was going to go skiing because they had a snow day from school. And we're trying to figure out why, why, why? So as soon as the police had brought the note up, and obviously it was in his handwriting and on the bottom of it, he also had on their Marathon county cybercrime task force. So immediately I knew it was something online. We didn't know the context of everything quite then. But I immediately went to the national center for Missing and Exploiting Children website to report the Internet crime against a minor. I also reported right away on the FBI website, even though at that time I didn't know what exactly the crime was. But I just, I was doing whatever felt right after seeing that. And what can I do right now to get this started?

[Unknown]

Did you or your husband know anything about sextortion involving kids and teens? At the time?

[Brittany Byrd]

We had heard a story from like four years ago. It was actually someone that we know, an adult who this happened to. And he was in his 40s when this happened. Never once did it cross my mind that teenagers would be targeted. You think teenagers don't have a lot of money? This adult that it happened to, they first came out and said, you have to send me $800. So an adult brain who can process that isn't going to think, you know, oh, this is the end of my life. And I mean, it wasn't until obviously that it happened with us that we had any idea that teenagers are actually the biggest target. It's Wednesday.

[Unknown]

Adams.

[Brittany Byrd]

I see you're trying to distract yourself from your own banal thoughts. Let me help.

[Unknown]

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[Brittany Byrd]

Wednesday.

[Nicole Lapin]

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[Nicole Lapin]

These predators often operate by approaching people on social media platforms like Facebook. Places where they can mimic familiarity by adding mutual friends of their potential victim. The goal is to make their initial contact seem ordinary and is designed to give their young targets a false sense of security. Once they've succeeded at that, these scammers guide their victims to more private, encrypted spaces in apps like Telegram. I asked Brittany if she knew what those conversations were like on Telegram or what kind of demands were made.

[Brittany Byrd]

We don't know specifically because our case is still an active case with the FBI. We don't have visibility to those messages, those chats. We know the timeframe for the most part, but we can't see anything. They're just at a point in the investigation where they can't share that. And so I can't really speak to exactly what was said in our case. But the more I learn about this along the way, it's pretty much the same thing. These people go off of scripts that they're given by people who train them on how to extort people online. So it's usually the same thing. You know, you're going to be a pedophile because you have a photo of a minor, which would be the person who sent it. You're going to be on the sex offender registry for the rest of your life. Because you're a minor and you sent a photo, Parents are going to hate you. Your team is going to be so disappointed in you. In our case, Braden did send money. He sent them $300, and that wasn't enough. And he was trying to get, like, Western Union transactions to try to give them more money because they wouldn't stop. So, you know, it is a financially motivated crime, but they absolutely do not care what happens on this side.

[Unknown]

Do you need a minute?

[Brittany Byrd]

Sorry, no.

[Unknown]

I want to give you a big hug.

[Brittany Byrd]

And I was not a hugger before this, believe it or not. Now I'm like, I don't have a choice.

[Unknown]

Okay. Are you okay to keep going?

[Brittany Byrd]

Yeah, I'm okay.

[Unknown]

Okay. So it sounds like the FBI got involved really quickly. You were really quick to jump on everything logistically that you needed to do after you found Braden. How did they help you understand what was happening?

[Brittany Byrd]

Unfortunately, because this is happening so often, there's a ton of information that we were given as far as, like, support and things of that nature. But they really broke it down for us in how in every case, it happens. Typically not every case, but typically it's just within a few hours. And they. They let us know that there's nothing you could have done. This happened from, like, 11:00am and that was it. They explained how the people who do this, it's essentially organized crime. They explained how it is scripted and they work in groups of people. One person will be feeding information from the victim's profile. One person will be getting photos from another victim, and one person will be writing the script on these text messages to these kids. Working as closely as we have with the FBI and local law enforcement and other parents who have been affected by this has really just opened our eyes to how often this is happening, how it's not often reported, because people are ashamed. There's only so much we can do before it has to fall onto, like, these social media companies and things of that nature. That's another big piece that we can got from the FBI. They let us know it's going to be probably two, three years until we get everything we need. Because social media companies are protected. We have to translate information. And that was eye opening for us as well.

[Unknown]

It sounds like you believe whatever the person said to Braden, and it's not completely clear yet, made him feel like he had no choice but to take his own life. What do you think was the core of that psychological pressure that led to such a rapid, devastating outcome?

[Nicole Lapin]

Right.

[Unknown]

It was four hours.

[Brittany Byrd]

Right. So I actually read an article last Sunday, it was out of the UK where a man went and spoke with these sextionists. And they said that one of the reasons why they target athletic, smart, successful kids is because they're more likely to feel that shame and be like, my team can't see this. They're gonna give me so much shit about it. I don't know if there was an actual threat that happened. In my bones, I feel that he wouldn't have done this unless he was scared of something. But it could have just been the shame factor. It could have been them saying, you know, your mom's going to hate you, your teen's going to hate you. You have a little sister. What's wrong with you? Could have been anything like that. They know what to say to get these kids to that point.

[Unknown]

And it sounds like it's not over a long period of time, or perhaps he would have told you something. Like any inkling of it, it's just really quick and almost surgical.

[Brittany Byrd]

Right. It's almost immediately after they get photos, the demands start. That's typically in all the cases that I have researched, looked at people I've talked to, it's as soon as the photo is sent, then they're immediately like, I'm about to ruin your life. Send me money.

[Unknown]

And had he ever told you anything about strangers approaching him online or on Facebook?

[Brittany Byrd]

No, not at all. And we've had those conversations. I used to be a part of a Facebook group, and it was like a moms and technology group. And when this first started kind of happening, where kids were getting extorted, but it was like locally. So someone locally would take their picture and show it to everyone in school because of whatever reason. And I remember telling Braden, like, don't do that stuff. And he's adamant I would never. You know, I trust him and I believe him. And I think he was a 15 year old boy who was acting like a 15 year old boy and made just talk with the wrong person.

[Unknown]

What was the community's reaction to Brayden's death?

[Brittany Byrd]

Our community has been absolutely outstanding. The school, the superintendent has been with us 110% with everything. They set up a memorial in the library at the school for his friends. The celebration of life was on a Thursday. They let everyone who wanted to be excused for it be excused. We have our baseball fields that are being redone and someone had donated one of the lights for the field, which is crazy expensive, to be put in Brayden's name with a plaque. And we have another plaque for him at the high school football diamond. Community members have, like, made things for us to hang around our home and they've been supporting us from day one. Absolutely. And I just can't imagine how it would be going through this without that love and support. And I understand maybe that's why some people don't share or report, because maybe they wouldn't receive that. And I think it just shows too, just how absolutely loved he was. He was just so loved.

[Unknown]

Sounds like it. It sounds like the entire community rallied around you and your family during this unimaginable loss. What was the moment or realization that compelled you to channel this grief and anger and sadness and everything you're feeling into advocacy and start fighting for Braden's Law?

[Brittany Byrd]

I guess I didn't realize how huge this would get either, as far as, like, the investigation. So initially I reached out to a friend of mine who's a reporter locally, and I said, please get me in touch with someone who can investigate and like, help me figure out how this happens, why this happens, you know, how we stop it from happening. Like, I need someone who knows how to really dig deep and just like, make it make sense. And I contacted that woman and we talked a little bit. And then after doing the first interview and seeing so many people saying we never knew this was a thing, I talked to my kids tonight. We never knew this thing is a thing. And then days after that, messages just trickling in saying, I heard your story. I told my son. He came to me tonight and said, it's happening to me.

[Unknown]

Oh, wow.

[Brittany Byrd]

That was the moment where I was like, we have to scream from the rooftops until everybody knows. And so every kid knows. You make mistakes, we help fix them. That is just. That's the way it is.

[Unknown]

And going back to Braden's note, he said, make sure he gets caught. How did those words specifically fuel your determination to get legal, legislative Change.

[Brittany Byrd]

It sounds strange, but it was almost a bit of a relief to see that note because we're sitting there wondering why, why, why, what's going on? Just so to see that it wasn't something that we missed initially. You know, I felt relief at that. But then as we're kind of going into this advocating piece, we know we're never going to be able to stop these people.

[Nicole Lapin]

Brittany knew that in order to protect other children, there needed to be legislative change. So In April of 2025, she brought Braden's story to the the floor of the Wisconsin legislature, where they introduced a bill called Braden's Law to fight against sextortion.

[Brittany Byrd]

The monsters will always be there. Putting this law in place will hopefully at least make them think twice about trying to come to Wisconsin, whether it be through the Internet, a cell phone, a game, or whatever. Not in our state, not here, not our kids. I think that this having it put in place will at least pull them back a little bit. I hope the law won't affect our case specifically. Ours will be a federal case. I mean, that's our biggest hope is that it's going to at least slow down this traffic that's just taking over our kids.

[Unknown]

What was going through the Wisconsin legislature with Brayden's law like?

[Brittany Byrd]

It has been a really positive experience. Honestly, testifying was extremely difficult. But to see these grown men up there in tears because they can resonate with me and be empathetic towards me and any other kid that this could possibly affect was amazing. Because you don't think that when you think politics, Right. You just think about money. It's this our state. They just care. They care about our kids. And it just. It gave me hope that there can be a positive impact that comes from this.

[Unknown]

Passed with unanimous bipartisan support. What are the next steps in the legislative process? What are your hopes for the final passage?

[Brittany Byrd]

Yeah, next we go to Senate, and then when it passes Senate, which they said typically when it passes the house vote, it'll pass Senate, and then it'll be signed in after that, and hopefully won't have any cases where it's going to have to be put into effect. But, yeah, that should be end of August, early September, they're thinking for that.

[Unknown]

And before Braden's Law, sextortion wasn't a standalone crime in Wisconsin. Right. And penalties were insufficient at best. So how does a new law, Braden's Law, specifically strengthen the framework against sextortion?

[Brittany Byrd]

So I think the current law, it's just like Internet crimes or something along that line it was like three to five years. So this puts sextortion as a completely, like an actual, completely separate charge. And if it results in a death, it would be a class B felony. And then if the death is someone under 18, they're going to do an additional 15 or 20 years. So it changed from five years of being held up for this, whatever crime to this is the rest of your life, to now if you are found guilty of this, this is the rest of your life. It is a class B felony. And that's, I think, up to 50, plus the additional pieces for age and things of that nature.

[Unknown]

How are they finding the sextortionists?

[Brittany Byrd]

They have to backtrack through everything. Usually they're out of the country. I think since the FBI has been working so much on cases similar to this recently, they've got it down to a pretty good science. They're able to get even if someone's using a router that may be different or whatever it may be. But they have to backtrack everything through the online conversations, timestamps, all that data. Cell phones. My old laptop is still at the police station as well, and Braden didn't even use that. But just everything electronic in our house is gone to get this one. But it's a lengthy process, so that's a piece of it too. Why it won't be years from now until we see a conviction out of this because it does take so long to get that data. Then they have to get subpoenaed, subpoena records from Facebook and Telegram. And then they have to go and translate that to whatever other country's language to see if they've committed a crime over there as well as here. It's a very complicated process and they tell me daily that it's lengthy because I check in often.

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[Brittany Byrd]

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[Brittany Byrd]

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[Brittany Byrd]

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[Brittany Byrd]

See mintmobile.com she's made up her mind.

[Unknown]

To live pretty smart. Learn to budget responsibly. Right from the start, she spends A little less inputs more into savings Keeps her blood pressure low and credit score raises. She's cutting debt right out of her life. She tracks her cash flow on her spreadsheet at night.

[Brittany Byrd]

Boring money moves make kinda lame songs but they sound pretty sweet to your wallet.

[Nicole Lapin]

Brilliantly boring since 1865.

[Unknown]

Get ready for more of the gripping mysteries you love because Forensic Files is back and they're revisiting some of your favorite episodes. Come along as investigators, scientists and experts piece together evidence, clues and data in search of the answers behind violent crimes, unexplainable mysteries, and other strange occurrences. Listen to Forensic Files on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nicole Lapin]

And the battle against these online predators isn't just in the United States. It spans continents. Many of these extortionists are overseas. And while bringing every single one of them to justice is a monumental task, progress is being made. Britney has been in contact with one family from Michigan whose son also died by suicide after being sextorted in March of 2022. In 2023, two of the people responsible were extradited from Nigeria to the United states. And in 2024 they were sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison for the crime of consent conspiracy to sexually exploit minors. They were tied to over 100 victims, including at least 11 minors. There's a third man from Nigeria who is also involved with this case, but he has been fighting his extradition. There are also five US based defendants tied to this case who have been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. They were responsible for receiving the funds from the victims and often converted most of it into bitcoin, at which point they would send of a portion, portion of the money back to their counterparts in Nigeria. So why did they do it?

[Brittany Byrd]

It's purely financially motivated. I mean, $300 here is still a lot. But you know, overseas in these countries that don't have anything, it is a ton of money. It's purely financially motivated in our case. I know there are other types of online crimes against children that are motivated, more like violently and things of that nature. We were told that I was purely financially motivated though. I've seen some videos of this group. It's called the Yahoo Boys. They used to be on YouTube. Their channel finally got shut down, but these guys would record their first sextortion attempt and they're laughing and they're joking and they're drinking and they're smoking and they're, they just think it's funny. They don't care. I don't know if it's because they don't realize how serious it is, or if they genuinely just do not care, it doesn't look like they care. Like young college guys. Yep, yep. Always younger people in groups, and they'll record each other, sending these awful messages to these kids and scaring the shit out of them and laugh about it. It's not some big, brainy operation at all. It's not, you know, a bunch of guys in suits extorting money like the mafia or something. It's literally kids doing it in groups from apartments, campuses.

[Unknown]

Well, Brittany, I have no doubt that you, as a mama bear, are going to make sure he gets caught. How close do you think you are to doing that?

[Brittany Byrd]

On what I can speak to, which is minimal, we have very high hopes that the person will be apprehended. We're still questionable on a US Trial that's gonna. We'll probably find that out. Probably not even, you know, a year from now. But they have it narrowed down pretty close. So we're hopeful that this person will be identified.

[Unknown]

And when they are, what do you think you would say to him?

[Brittany Byrd]

I think about that all the time. I just think that it wouldn't matter what I say, because if these people are out there doing this, they don't care that someone's whole world just fell apart. And they don't care that literally part of my heart is missing for the rest of my life. And if I tell him that, it won't change anything and he won't feel any worse. I don't know yet what I would say.

[Unknown]

How do you talk to your daughter about this?

[Brittany Byrd]

It's tough because she wants to be so tough, and she wants to be so strong, and she feels like she needs to protect me. And if I'm upset, she will not show emotion because she doesn't want me to worry about her. But we talk as openly as I feel appropriate right now about it. As far as what happened, I just told her that someone found her brother online and they scared him and did some really horrible things. And he was so scared, he thought he couldn't stay here. And I told her that. And that was even probably a month and a half after, because she wanted to download Roblox. And I was like, you absolutely cannot download Roblox because people can chat with you on Roblox. All my friends have it. Why can't I have it? I'll turn the chatting off. I said, no, absolutely not. And so then I explained to her that. I said, you, brother thought that he was in a safe space, too, and someone found him. And I'm like, I have to protect you from that. I mean, she's only nine. It'll be quite a while before she really knows and understands and before we can be that open with her, I guess, regarding everything. But as far as talking about death and, you know, things of that nature, I couldn't ask for a better kid. She gets it. And she will tell me often when I say, I'm just so sad that I won't see him again. She'll tell me every time. You will one day, though, Mom. You will. Like, she gets it. And she has that comfort in her heart because she, you know, believes that he's in heaven. And she talks about him all the time, and it's tough for her. You know, he should have been here for all of her things. And it was really hard for her to. Her birthday was on the 8th, and he had passed away on the 5th. So his birthday was a tough one this year, but we're getting by.

[Unknown]

What do you think is the most crucial advice you would give to parents and caregivers about their kids online safety and potential threats like sextortion? And what are you doing with your daughter to implement that? It sounds like you're not allowing her on social media or sites like Roblox.

[Brittany Byrd]

Right? When I did my first presentation for the city, one of the first things I said was, this was the first year that we let Braden have his phone in his room overnight. We waited until he was 15, until he was a freshman. We're like, you're not. You just can't, like, it's too much hold off on that as long as possible. The entire world is in their room with them, and you can't keep them safe if you don't know, you know, you're sleeping or whatever. And I also made it a point to just to say, you know, your kids are going to do stupid shit. Everybody says, my kid wouldn't do that. Not my kid. Mine wouldn't either. Then look where we are. You can't have that mentality. They're going to do these things. They're going to do these things. Especially because it's so normalized in today's society. It is so normalized to just send a photo with, you know, Snapchat and disappearing messages and everything. Know that they're going to mess up and be that safe space for them to come to when they do. I had just talked to Braden two weeks before everything happened because he had gotten in trouble for something Else, he's pretty upset. And I said, braden, you are so much bigger than your worst mistake. You're so much better than your biggest mistake. He said, you're going to be an adult, and you're going to call me one day because you're going to mess up, and I'm gonna help you. That was. That was honestly just a couple weeks before. I think that adults and parents and caregivers need to know that the world is so different now for our kids. We have to get out of the mentality of, wow, I would have never done that when I was a kid. No, you didn't have a smartphone with everybody and their mother having access to you when you were a kid. We need to treat our kids as the times are changing, that we realize that. We understand that. We know you're going to do shady stuff. We're going to tell you not to do it. We're going to prepare you for when it comes. But we have to understand, as parents, they are going to do it. And even if it's not something as extreme as this, be that safe space for them.

[Unknown]

What do you tell parents and caregivers about some of the warning signs they should be looking for or other ways to protect their kids online?

[Brittany Byrd]

You obviously don't want your kids chatting with anyone they don't know, but that's near impossible if they have public social media settings. So that's a really big thing, is check their settings, get into their stuff. You know, another thing is iPhones. They actually turn off the parental controls when your child turns 13 and you have to manually go and turn them back on. That was something I did not know about. It's hard to say as far as warning signs and things, because there was none in our case. You know, when I look more into stuff and see that there sometimes are cases where it goes on for a little bit longer. And I think typically that is like teenage females. So they're extorted first for their photos, then their photos are used to extort teenage males. And I think that usually the relationship between extortionist and teen girl usually lasts, you know, a little bit longer until they have all the photos they want or need or until she stops sending them. So in those cases, you would want, you know, to pay attention. Is your child more withdrawn on their phone, more being more private with their phone? I noticed at one point Braden had gotten one of the blackout screens for his phone, and I was like, oh, no, we're not doing that. What are you. You're not hiding stuff like we're not doing that. So things of that nature in those cases but like I said in ours there was just we were sleeping.

[Unknown]

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[Nicole Lapin]

Brittany has become incredibly vocal about the ways that social media companies can do a better job to protect our kids. And she these platforms bear a significant responsibility in protecting children from these scams, especially Facebook.

[Brittany Byrd]

They know which accounts on their platforms are fake. They know which accounts are duplicates. There was after the case in Michigan, they made this big post about how they deleted 600 something fake accounts in one day. They can do it. They have the ability to do it. They don't because the more users they have, the more money advertisers will pay them. Right. Half of the users are fake and they know about it and they will not remove them completely. I feel like it's a doable thing if they were able to remove 600 something in one day and identify them. And we had talked to another person who had kind of said the way that these people work is they will go to school websites and then they'll like, you know, schools post oh here's our JV baseball team or whatever. And so her piece was we should get the schools not to share that stuff. No, we should get the social media sites to be a safe place for these people to share that stuff. There shouldn't be an option where it's a fake account with duplicated pictures and no address or history. Is reaching out to people privately. That shouldn't be a scenario that's going on. And it's definitely something they can End. And I know with a lot of like the messaging apps they have the end to end encryption. I don't know. That's something that can be taken away and makes it harder for the police to track everything. It's not impossible for them to track it, but it makes it a lot more difficult. And I guess I don't have enough knowledge on that to know if that is something that can be changed.

[Unknown]

Is there any part of Braden's Law that includes social media protection? And what do you think needs to be changed for the US based companies at least? Because TikTok is a whole other beast to hold these companies accountable?

[Brittany Byrd]

There is a section, it's called section 230 and I think it was put in place in 99 when the Internet really kind of started taking off. And section 230 prevents social media companies from being held liable to third party content which also envelops the messaging piece or the fake profile and contacting whomever piece. And I don't think that Section 230 needs to be taken away. If it's taken away, then small Internet businesses are going to be affected by a negative review or whatever it may be. But it needs to be amended so it doesn't envelop that piece to let these predators know I can get through on this website because they're letting me through. They're letting me through because they won't get in trouble for anything. So I think that that really needs to be looked at. And I know there's been multiple times where it's been pushed forward in legislature and then it just dies when it gets to a certain point because social media companies have money and money talks. And one of our FBI agents said that to me once and I said, so do moms like I will be as loud as I possibly can about this. Our kids are worth more than whatever the social media companies are getting. You can't put a price on their lives.

[Unknown]

Absolutely. What else would you say to parents if they got any inkling or hint that their kid was experiencing sextortion? Is there an important message that you want them to hear?

[Brittany Byrd]

I mean, first thing that I would say is don't make them feel ashamed. If you feel like your child is going through this or there's something they're hiding from you, or you do find out that this happened to them, love them despite it in the moment, you're going to feel all kinds of ways right in that moment. But that moment is not here forever. It's not there forever. We can fix it and we can't let them feel ashamed. Especially like I said earlier, because these things are so normalized. They know right and wrong. Right? But that shame piece, especially for kids today, where everything can go on the Internet immediately, you're not getting bullied at school and then get a break at home. When you're getting bullied, it is constant. So I think just reminding them that, you know, we can fix this.

[Unknown]

Are there resources that you would urge them to reach out to if there's any sign whatsoever? What were the resources that you had that would be the most important for them to do, too?

[Brittany Byrd]

Some sites are. It's called take it down. If you go to this take it down website, usually best to do it as soon as possible. You put the information for your image, upload it to the website, and they can scrub it from anywhere, any other site that it's been on. Obviously, if it's already on someone's phone, I don't know that they could take it from there. But that would be the first step, right? We're going to take it down. Then you would want to report at the national center of Missing and Exploited Children website. The more reports they get, the more serious they're going to take this. I also reported on the FBI website, but I think that's linked with the NCMEC website. You report right away. That's the biggest thing. Let your kid know this is not their fault. They are a victim. Someone coerced them and tricked them into thinking they could trust this person, and then they tore it all away in seconds. Your child is a victim and they need you now to stand up for them and fight for them and not be angry at them.

[Unknown]

Brayden's story has already made such a profound impact. Brittany, you've led significant legislative change. You've continued to spread messages for other families potentially dealing with this. Zooming out, what do you hope ultimately Brayden's lasting legacy will be?

[Brittany Byrd]

I just want people to just remember, like, how happy he was and how goofy and how strong and how smart and how these people contact the kids who feel like they have everything to lose. I want people to remember that he had plans to live. He had plans to get married and have babies. He wanted to do all those things, and he was going to do them all until this happened. So that, I guess for me, I don't want people to think of, you know, Braden as the kid who. I don't think they do, but as the kid who sent a picture. I want them to remember him as the kid who was Amazing. And now his life is going to change others because it's going to save them along the way.

[Unknown]

What do you think is the most important thing today that individuals can do to protect future generations from an evolving threat? If somebody's listening and they don't even have kids, but they're outraged and they're crying, right there with you. What can we do?

[Brittany Byrd]

Keep talking about it, keep sharing it. Every time that I speak to someone new about it, the first thing I hear is, I didn't know this was a thing. We didn't know either. The only way that we can continue to let other moms, dads, you know, grandparents, teenagers know is keep talking about it, keep advocating about it, keep fighting for justice for these kids. I just can't imagine not speaking to it. But I do understand why some people might be ashamed. I've never been ashamed of my son. I'm gonna keep talking about it until everybody knows that this is a thing.

[Unknown]

Thank you. Thank you for doing that. Are you seeing just in the pace that scams change and evolve online with new technology and new regulations, are you seeing it already morph into something else?

[Brittany Byrd]

One of the things that I've kind of been more aware of now, and I don't think it's anything specific to sextortion or people getting caught. I think it's just because of technology changing is a lot of people are starting to use AI to generate these false images of underage kids. You know, like I had said earlier, they're never gonna stop. The monsters will always be there. We have to fight back. And the way we fight back is telling everybody and hopefully pushing to modify section 230. And I mean, I think that the AI piece is separate in a way just because that's how technology is advancing. So they're finding like, you know, the quickest ways to do this and they're following it just as much as we are.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I did another episode with a girlfriend my age, also worked in the media who is sex sorted through a totally fake AI generated image of herself. And she's a tech reporter. So she went, she ultimately went after this person got to the bottom of, I think it was Mr. Deep Fake's website. Just knowing how AI is changing the world and how AI is going to change scams in the most devastating and scary ways. What would your advice be around staying vigilant in all forms of this?

[Brittany Byrd]

I would say I don't do this right now, but share as minimal as possible, I guess. I mean, right now, anything that I can share about what's going on, you know, with us and any advancements or speeches that are coming up and things of that nature. You know, I'm putting that on my socials to continue tracking and just keep the conversation going. But obviously, the more you share about your personal life, the easier it is for people to dig into that and kind of get to you. I would not say that anyone under 13 should have a cell phone. I think 13 is even pushing it. I mean, going through teenage dumb with my son from 13, about 12 and a half to 14, they're not running on all cylinders. They're, you know, they have hormones. Everything is just out of whack. They're very emotional. And then you're going to put a smartphone in their hand and say, well, here, your algorithm will pick up this. That whatever. Everyone can reach out to you. It's just not keeping cell phones out of hands of the youth for as long as you can.

[Unknown]

Amen.

[Brittany Byrd]

And just sharing minimal, you know, or putting your things to private. It could be as simple as that.

[Unknown]

If you could speak directly to Braden today, knowing everything that's happened and the change that he and you have inspired, what would you say?

[Brittany Byrd]

I tell him often, actually, you know, sorry. I tell him that I'm glad that he was able to go out with a bang, but I wish it didn't have to be this way. And I just tell him how loved he is and how he's changing the world. He's literally saving lives. I just wish he would have stayed.

[Unknown]

Me too. Brittany, thank you so much again for being with us and sharing Braden's story. You are so courageous. My God, thank you so much for also just your tireless advocacy. It's so crucial to spread the awareness.

[Brittany Byrd]

Like I said, I can't imagine not speaking to it. And every time I hear, I shared your story and so it helped. So and so I'm like, thank God. Because although Braden's not here anymore, if someone else is because of him, like, that's the silver lining, right?

[Nicole Lapin]

Scams Money and Murder is hosted by me, Nicole Laffin, and is a crime house original. Powered by Pave Studios. Our guest today was Brittany Byrd. If you're a victim of sextortion, block the person immediately, but do not delete any messages. To report child sexual exploitation, call your local law enforcement and visit report.cybertip.org you can find this link and other resources in the description for this episode.

[Unknown]

Thank you so much for listening.

[Nicole Lapin]

I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Scams, money and murder is a Crime House Original Join me every Thursday for a brand new episode here at Crime House. We want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support. If you like what you heard here today, reach out on all social media rimehouse and don't forget to rate, review and follow Scams, Money and Murder wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. And for ad free listening plus early access and bonus content, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts Masks. This episode was brought to life by the Scams, Money and Murder team Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Stacey Warrenker, Sara Camp and Paul Libeskin. If you love Scams, Money and Murder, check out our Crime House original Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes for the world's darkest truths follow. Follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes now wherever you get your podcasts and for ad free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts.