We’ve come a long way with technology in the last few decades, and it’s made life a lot easier. Having a smartphone in our pockets, which puts the entire world at our fingertips, is certainly handy. But as technology has evolved, so have predatory behaviors. Some sophisticated scams make it hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake. Mom Kelsey Hall shared a cautionary tale for parents on TikTok that everyone needs to see.
In Hall’s video, which has amassed more than 3 million views, she explains a terrifying incident with her 11-year-old son. Her son was with another family out of town and called her, panicking. Through tears, he told his mom, “Somebody did something to me.”
Hall asked her son what he meant, but she said he was hyperventilating, and she couldn’t understand him. His friend’s mom ultimately got on the phone and explained what happened.
“It turns out somebody texted him and asked for a picture of his face,” Hall explained her son sent the photo and received something horrible in return. “They then sent back pictures of what looked like him naked.”
@kelseyleaaaa Please stop and listen to this if your child has a phone. #parents #psa #warning #scammeralert ♬ original sound – thekelseyshow💁🏼♀️
Hall explained her son was a victim of “sextortion.” The person on the other end of the text allegedly told her son if he didn’t send money, they would “leak” the photos online.
“These pictures looked real,” Hall admitted in her video. She said her son panicked, but thankfully, he was with a trusted friend who got his mom, and she helped the boys. Hall said the situation “traumatized” her child.
Hall planned to call the FBI the following day but posted her video to warn other parents so they could protect their children from a similar situation.
The mom’s story stirred a lively conversation in the comment section.
Many believed the child was an innocent victim.
“He has no blame. He’s 11 and had no idea this would happen just from a regular pic,” one person wrote.
“AI is going to destroy us,” someone else shared. “How could someone do that to an 11-year-old little boy?”
Others went straight to condemning children’s use of cellphones.
“This is why young children should have phones that only make calls and texts with no photo/clip/social media capability. Shame there isn’t a jitterbug type phone geared for kids,” one commenter wrote.
But most defended Hall and her young son.
“Everyone ‘this is why kids shouldn’t have phones’ … you’re missing the point. A child was exploited,” one comment reads. “Scam or not, that poor kid had to have been terrified.”
“Thank god you have raised a kid who spoke up, and good job to his friend as well,” someone else praised.
“Honestly the fact he called you? That says so, so much about your parenting,” a TikToker agreed. “I never would’ve trusted my parents with this. I would’ve suffered in silence.”
The FBI warns never to send “compromising” photos to anyone no matter who they are or who they say they are.
“Do not open attachments from people you do not know. Turn off your electronic devices and web cameras when you are not using them. If you are receiving sextortion threats, you are not alone,” the FBI explains. “It is likely the perpetrator is an adult pretending to be a teenager, and you are just one of the many victims being targeted by the same person. Do not be afraid to talk to an adult and to call the FBI.”
