Latest news with #AlfredKassi
CTV News
22-05-2025
- CTV News
Canadian victims tied to global sextortion ring, including minors
Ivorian nationals have been arrested in Cote d'Ivoire in connection with an international sextortion and money laundering scheme that involved Canadian victims, which U.S. authorities say led to the suicide of one American teen. According to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, the accused, Alfred Kassi, allegedly worked with several money laundering accomplices who helped Kassi move the money he received from victims. Authorities say the scheme targeted thousands of victims, including minors, throughout Canada, the U.S., U.K., France, Spain and Italy. Seventeen-year-old U.S. teen Ryan Last, who the DOJ alleges is one of Kassi's victims, allegedly committed suicide hours after being sextorted online by an individual pretending to a 20-year-old woman in February 2022. The DOJ says Last paid Kassi US$150 dollars to prevent his intimate images from being released. Kassi was arrested on April 29 by Ivorian law enforcement. The DOJ says at the time of arrest, the accused had the sextortion messages he sent to Last still on his phone. One of the alleged money launderers is Oumarou Ouedraogo, who was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement on April 25. Ivorian law enforcement also arrested two other individuals, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse. Both Diaby and Cisse were part of Kassi's alleged sextortion network and admitted to their own sextortion crimes. 'The government of Cote d'Ivoire does not extradite its own citizens, so these defendants will be prosecuted in their own country under Ivorian cybercrime statutes,' the press release said.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- CTV News
Canadians among victims in global sextortion ring, U.S. officials say
Ivorian nationals have been arrested in Cote d'Ivoire in connection with an international sextortion and money laundering scheme that involved Canadian victims, which U.S. authorities say led to the suicide of one American teen. According to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, the accused, Alfred Kassi, allegedly worked with several money laundering accomplices who helped Kassi move the money he received from victims. Authorities say the scheme targeted thousands of victims, including minors, throughout Canada, the U.S., U.K., France, Spain and Italy. Seventeen-year-old U.S. teen Ryan Last, who the DOJ alleges is one of Kassi's victims, allegedly committed suicide hours after being sextorted online by an individual pretending to a 20-year-old woman in February 2022. The DOJ says Last paid Kassi US$150 dollars to prevent his intimate images from being released. Kassi was arrested on April 29 by Ivorian law enforcement. The DOJ says at the time of arrest, the accused had the sextortion messages he sent to Last still on his phone. One of the alleged money launderers is Oumarou Ouedraogo, who was arrested by Ivorian law enforcement on April 25. Ivorian law enforcement also arrested two other individuals, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse. Both Diaby and Cisse were part of Kassi's alleged sextortion network and admitted to their own sextortion crimes. 'The government of Cote d'Ivoire does not extradite its own citizens, so these defendants will be prosecuted in their own country under Ivorian cybercrime statutes,' the press release said.
CNN
15-05-2025
- CNN
‘Sextortion' ring targeting thousands of minors worldwide was just disrupted by the FBI, officials say
It was news that Pauline Stuart thought might never come: The man believed to be responsible for the death of her teenage son years earlier is finally behind bars. 'It still seems a little unreal that it happened,' she told CNN on Thursday. 'I kind of believed that it would never happen, but law enforcement never gave up.' The suspect, Alfred Kassi, was recently arrested in his native country of Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, more than 7,000 miles away from the Northern California home where Stuart's 17-year-old son, Ryan Last, died by suicide in 2022. US federal prosecutors say that Kassi and a group of three accomplices were all arrested in Côte d'Ivoire, charged for their alleged 'role in an international 'sextortion' scheme that targeted thousands of victims, including minors, throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Italy.' Because Côte d'Ivoire does not extradite its citizens to other countries, Kassi and his alleged accomplices will be prosecuted there under the nation's cybercrime laws, US officials said. CNN is attempting to determine if the four individuals have legal representation. Sextortion is a scheme where victims, including minors, are deceived into sending online perpetrators explicit images, and then blackmailed in exchange for money or the continued production of additional graphic content. US law enforcement agencies have seen an explosion in complaints from victims, leading the FBI to ramp up a campaign to warn parents from coast to coast. Ryan Last received a message on a school night in February 2022 from someone he believed to be a girl. Within hours, the 17-year-old, straight-A student and Boy Scout had died by suicide. 'Somebody reached out to him pretending to be a girl, and they started a conversation,' Stuart previously told CNN, fighting back tears as she described what happened to her son days after she and Ryan had finished visiting several colleges he was considering attending after high school. The online conversation quickly grew intimate and then turned criminal. The scammer – posing as a young girl – sent Ryan a nude photo and then asked Ryan to share an explicit image of himself in return. Immediately after Ryan shared an intimate photo of his own, the cybercriminal demanded $5,000, threatening to make the photo public and send it to Ryan's family and friends. The San Jose, California, teen told the cybercriminal he could not pay the full amount, and the demand was ultimately lowered to a fraction of the original figure – $150. But after paying the scammers from his college savings, Stuart said, 'They kept demanding more and more and putting lots of continued pressure on him.' At the time, Stuart knew none of what her son was experiencing. She learned the details after law enforcement investigators reconstructed the events leading up to his death. She had said goodnight to Ryan at 10 p.m. and described him as her usually happy son. By 2 a.m., he had been scammed and taken his life. Ryan left behind a suicide note describing how embarrassed he was for himself and the family. 'He really, truly thought in that time that there wasn't a way to get by if those pictures were actually posted online,' Stuart said. 'His note showed he was absolutely terrified. No child should have to be that scared.' In announcing the new arrests in the case, the Justice Department said: 'At the time of his arrest, Kassi allegedly still had the sextortion messages he sent to (Ryan) in February 2022 on his phone.' Medical experts say there's a key reason why young males are especially vulnerable to sextortion-related scams. 'Teen brains are still developing,' said Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of adolescent medicine at Mass General for Children in Boston. 'So when something catastrophic happens, like a personal picture is released to people online, it's hard for them to look past that moment and understand that in the big scheme of things they'll be able to get through this.' Hadland said there are steps parents can take to help safeguard their kids from online harm. 'The most important thing that a parent should do with their teen is try to understand what they're doing online,' Hadland said. 'You want to know when they're going online, who they're interacting with, what platforms they're using. Are they being approached by people that they don't know, are they experiencing pressure to share information or photos?' It's critical, Hadland added, that parents specifically warn teens of scams like sextortion, without shaming them. 'You want to make it clear that they can talk to you if they have done something, or they feel like they've made a mistake,' he said. Ryan's mom agrees. 'You need to talk to your kids because we need to make them aware of it,' Stuart said. The FBI was assisted in the investigation by San Jose police, the US State Department and the social media company Meta, which prosecutors said provided 'critical information' that helped identify the suspects.
CNN
15-05-2025
- CNN
‘Sextortion' ring targeting thousands of minors worldwide was just disrupted by the FBI, officials say
It was news that Pauline Stuart thought might never come: The man believed to be responsible for the death of her teenage son years earlier is finally behind bars. 'It still seems a little unreal that it happened,' she told CNN on Thursday. 'I kind of believed that it would never happen, but law enforcement never gave up.' The suspect, Alfred Kassi, was recently arrested in his native country of Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, more than 7,000 miles away from the Northern California home where Stuart's 17-year-old son, Ryan Last, died by suicide in 2022. US federal prosecutors say that Kassi and a group of three accomplices were all arrested in Côte d'Ivoire, charged for their alleged 'role in an international 'sextortion' scheme that targeted thousands of victims, including minors, throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Italy.' Because Côte d'Ivoire does not extradite its citizens to other countries, Kassi and his alleged accomplices will be prosecuted there under the nation's cybercrime laws, US officials said. CNN is attempting to determine if the four individuals have legal representation. Sextortion is a scheme where victims, including minors, are deceived into sending online perpetrators explicit images, and then blackmailed in exchange for money or the continued production of additional graphic content. US law enforcement agencies have seen an explosion in complaints from victims, leading the FBI to ramp up a campaign to warn parents from coast to coast. Ryan Last received a message on a school night in February 2022 from someone he believed to be a girl. Within hours, the 17-year-old, straight-A student and Boy Scout had died by suicide. 'Somebody reached out to him pretending to be a girl, and they started a conversation,' Stuart previously told CNN, fighting back tears as she described what happened to her son days after she and Ryan had finished visiting several colleges he was considering attending after high school. The online conversation quickly grew intimate and then turned criminal. The scammer – posing as a young girl – sent Ryan a nude photo and then asked Ryan to share an explicit image of himself in return. Immediately after Ryan shared an intimate photo of his own, the cybercriminal demanded $5,000, threatening to make the photo public and send it to Ryan's family and friends. The San Jose, California, teen told the cybercriminal he could not pay the full amount, and the demand was ultimately lowered to a fraction of the original figure – $150. But after paying the scammers from his college savings, Stuart said, 'They kept demanding more and more and putting lots of continued pressure on him.' At the time, Stuart knew none of what her son was experiencing. She learned the details after law enforcement investigators reconstructed the events leading up to his death. She had said goodnight to Ryan at 10 p.m. and described him as her usually happy son. By 2 a.m., he had been scammed and taken his life. Ryan left behind a suicide note describing how embarrassed he was for himself and the family. 'He really, truly thought in that time that there wasn't a way to get by if those pictures were actually posted online,' Stuart said. 'His note showed he was absolutely terrified. No child should have to be that scared.' In announcing the new arrests in the case, the Justice Department said: 'At the time of his arrest, Kassi allegedly still had the sextortion messages he sent to (Ryan) in February 2022 on his phone.' Medical experts say there's a key reason why young males are especially vulnerable to sextortion-related scams. 'Teen brains are still developing,' said Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of adolescent medicine at Mass General for Children in Boston. 'So when something catastrophic happens, like a personal picture is released to people online, it's hard for them to look past that moment and understand that in the big scheme of things they'll be able to get through this.' Hadland said there are steps parents can take to help safeguard their kids from online harm. 'The most important thing that a parent should do with their teen is try to understand what they're doing online,' Hadland said. 'You want to know when they're going online, who they're interacting with, what platforms they're using. Are they being approached by people that they don't know, are they experiencing pressure to share information or photos?' It's critical, Hadland added, that parents specifically warn teens of scams like sextortion, without shaming them. 'You want to make it clear that they can talk to you if they have done something, or they feel like they've made a mistake,' he said. Ryan's mom agrees. 'You need to talk to your kids because we need to make them aware of it,' Stuart said. The FBI was assisted in the investigation by San Jose police, the US State Department and the social media company Meta, which prosecutors said provided 'critical information' that helped identify the suspects.
Toronto Sun
15-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
West African men arrested in 'sextortion' scheme linked to teen's suicide
Ryan Last, a 17-year-old high school student from California, died by suicide in 2022 after being blackmailed into sending money to scammers. Photo by Handout / San Jose Police Department / Facebook Four men from West Africa have been arrested for their alleged roles in an international 'sextortion' scheme that investigators linked to the suicide of a California teenager three years ago. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The U.S. Justice Department announced last week that law enforcement officials in Cote d'Ivoire took into custody Alfred Kassi, Oumarou Ouedraogo, Moussa Diaby and Oumar Cisse. They are accused of threatening and coercing victims in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Spain and Italy into sending explicit images online. Ryan Last, a 17-year-old high school student from San Jose, Calif., took his own life in February 2022 shortly after he paid $150 to stop an intimate image he had sent to a person pretending to be a 20-year-old woman. Ryan Last, a 17-year-old high school student from California, died by suicide in 2022 after being blackmailed into sending money to scammers. Photo by Handout / San Jose Police Department / Facebook The U.S. Justice Department said Kassi, at the time of his arrest on April 29, allegedly still had the sextortion messages he sent to Last in 2022 on his phone. 'We're feeling grateful that (law enforcement officials) didn't give up and they continued to work,' Pauline Stuart, Last's mom, told the Los Angeles Times . Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Unfortunately it will never bring Ryan back. It's one of those double-edged swords. My son's still gone, but I'm hoping that, with this arrest, it brings awareness and scares the scammers because they kind of feel safe over in a foreign country. They don't think they can be touched.' After receiving a nude photo and Last's request for one in return, the conmen asked him to transfer $5,000 or they would send it to his family and friends, CNN reported at the time. The amount was reduced when Last said he didn't have that kind of cash. After sending the money, he was constantly hounded by the scammers. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Stuart shared the suicide note Last wrote, apologizing for not being smart enough to recognize he was being blackmailed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'He didn't realize these people were taking advantage of him and he was terrified of what it would do to us,' Stuart said. Since Cote d'Ivoire doesn't extradite its own citizens, the four accused will face trial under the country's cybercrime statutes. According to the Justice Department, the investigation identified several accomplices who laundered money from their victims. It is alleged that Ouedraogo was one of those money launderers. He was arrested on April 25. Two others, Diaby and Cisse, were also taken into custody. 'Both Diaby and Cisse were part of Kassi's alleged sextortion network and admitted to their own sextortion crimes,' the Justice Department said. Another accomplice based in the U.S., Jonathan Kassi — unrelated to Alfred Kassi — was convicted in 2023 in California and sentenced to 18 months in jail. Read More Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA Relationships Olympics Columnists
