Dad was so shocked at the messaged he found in his 10-year-old son’s WhatsApp history he became suicidal – as he shares a warning every parent needs to hear
- Father revealed his son sent explicit images to a stranger
- The ten-year-old was given gaming vouchers in return
- The father said he became suicidal after finding out
A shocked father has revealed how he attempted suicide after discovering his 10-year-old sent a stranger explicit photos in exchange for gaming vouchers.
The father, from Perth, found two years’ worth of messages between his son and the stranger on WhatsApp.
He said his son had met the unknown person on the popular video game Fortnite before they connected on the phone service.
The father became suspicious after the 10-year-old’s phone kept ringing with the name of the caller being ‘best friend for life’.
He is now warning other Australian parents to keep a close eye on their children.
The father said his son had met the unknown person on the popular video game Fortnite before they connected on WhatsApp (stock image)
‘We have this mentality as a parent that this will never happen to my child. But it did,’ he told 7 News.
‘It sent me down a mental spiral with several suicide attempts from the guilt.
‘His phone kept ringing on WhatsApp and the name kept coming up (as) best friend for life.
‘I said, ‘what’s their name?’ and he couldn’t tell me.’
After he went through his son’s phone, he discovered he had sent the photos in exchange for $300 of Xbox vouchers.
‘One conversation would be like ‘hi, how are you?’… back and forth and then one of the texts where he asks for the photo he goes, ‘I guess you don’t want that voucher?’
‘Straight after my child sent photos,’ he said.
The father became suspicious after the 10-year-old’s phone kept ringing with the name of the caller being ‘best friend for life’
To make matters worse, the father said a lot of his son’s conversations with the stranger had been over the phone, making it impossible to know what was discussed.
Kids Helpline said there is a growing trend of ‘sextortion’, which sees teenagers between 14 and 17 targeted online.
In one case, a father and his 17-year-old contacted Kids Helpline after the teen was asked to send $5,000 to stop his nude photos being sent to contacts.
The teen had sent the photos to who he thought was a 16-year-old girl.
The ‘girl’ had sent him a nude photo before asking for one in return.
After he did, the scammer threatened him and demanded money.
The Perth dad is now warning other Australian parents to keep a close eye on their children’s online use (stock image)
KHL spokesperson Leo Hede said that boys were targeted because were less likely to ask for help.
‘This is sort of that tip of the iceberg,’ he said.
‘Our families and young people do need to be really aware that this is another one of the many online scams that they can fall victim to.
‘Make sure (you’re) approachable and available (for your child). Remain calm, remind the young person it’s not their fault, that they are the victim of a criminal,’ he said.
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact Lifeline 131 114, Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
