Father Sounds Alarm After Son Dies in Extortion Campaign That Ended With 'Blackout Challenge'

A begetter is urging parents worldwide to show their children's online enactment aft his 15-year-old lad took his ain beingness pursuing a 50-day run of integer extortion, manipulation and unsafe dares orchestrated by anonymous predators operating done mainstream gaming platforms.

Christoforos, whose household had moved from Cyprus to the United Kingdom, was recovered unresponsive successful his chamber aft attempting the alleged blackout situation — a viral asphyxiation situation his tormentors falsely promised would extremity his ordeal.

Speaking to Greek tv web MEGA, the boy's begetter described however a sociable, academically talented teen was methodically breached down by anonymous users helium archetypal encountered connected fashionable video games including Minecraft and Fortnite. 

The perpetrators communicated done the messaging app Discord, posing arsenic 4 abstracted individuals to physique spot earlier systematically isolating him from household and friends.

Over astir 2 months, the web subjected Christoforos to escalating trials — forced slumber deprivation, speed-eating challenges and progressively terrible intelligence pressure. 

The run turned straight threatening erstwhile the predators obtained the family's idiosyncratic information and warned they would harm his parents if helium failed to comply with their instructions.

Shortly aft the teenager's death, the perpetrators messaged his relationship asking: "Are you dead?"

Despite the case's severity, nary arrests person been made. Investigators established that each 4 online profiles traced backmost to a azygous IP code routed wholly done the acheronian web, making recognition efficaciously intolerable with existent tools. 

The probe further revealed that 9 different children successful the family's vicinity had been targeted by the aforesaid network.

"If I knew what I cognize today, my Christoforos would beryllium here," his begetter said. "Please ticker implicit your children, emotion them, hug them, and support them distant from these unsafe pages."

Child information advocates accidental the lawsuit illustrates a increasing spread betwixt the velocity astatine which online predator networks run and the capableness of instrumentality enforcement to respond. 

Parents are urged to support unfastened conversations with children astir online contacts and to show enactment connected gaming and messaging platforms.