1 00:00:03,712 --> 00:00:10,135 [chatter] 2 00:00:13,388 --> 00:00:14,806 [Mariana Van Zeller] Why didn't you stop? 3 00:00:17,935 --> 00:00:21,063 [Mariana Van Zeller] This is a story about a new kind of scam. 4 00:00:21,063 --> 00:00:22,064 [Reporter] Sextortion. 5 00:00:22,064 --> 00:00:22,940 [News Anchor] Sextortion. 6 00:00:23,232 --> 00:00:25,734 [Reporter] It's called sextortion. 7 00:00:25,734 --> 00:00:28,195 [Mariana Van Zeller] One that feeds on loneliness, and 8 00:00:28,195 --> 00:00:31,698 thrives at the crossroads of desperation and greed. 9 00:00:44,336 --> 00:00:46,338 [Mariana Van Zeller] All it takes is one message from 10 00:00:46,338 --> 00:00:49,091 a stranger, one moment of trust, 11 00:00:49,091 --> 00:00:52,844 one compromising photo to change everything. 12 00:00:53,553 --> 00:00:55,472 [Brandon Guffey] Nine months ago tomorrow, 13 00:00:55,472 --> 00:00:58,100 I lost my 17-year-old son to suicide. 14 00:00:58,976 --> 00:01:01,478 [Mariana Van Zeller] This is a journey from the bedrooms of 15 00:01:01,478 --> 00:01:04,940 America, to the back alleys of the Philippines, 16 00:01:04,940 --> 00:01:09,528 as I search for some of the most ruthless scammers on the planet. 17 00:01:10,028 --> 00:01:11,697 Oh. 18 00:01:22,624 --> 00:01:24,209 [Mariana Van Zeller] No, you did not! 19 00:01:25,002 --> 00:01:29,464 [theme music plays] 20 00:01:41,184 --> 00:01:44,313 [Cindy] He was going to college. 21 00:01:44,313 --> 00:01:48,191 He was about to graduate, to become a teacher. 22 00:01:48,608 --> 00:01:52,154 The weekend before, he came to my house and stayed. 23 00:01:53,322 --> 00:01:57,117 We went to a soccer game and we just had a lot of fun. 24 00:02:06,168 --> 00:02:09,004 And then Sunday he left to go home 25 00:02:09,004 --> 00:02:15,469 and that night is when the trouble started. 26 00:02:17,804 --> 00:02:19,681 [Mariana Van Zeller] Jake was at home when he received a 27 00:02:19,681 --> 00:02:22,559 private message on Facebook. 28 00:02:22,559 --> 00:02:25,187 The message was from a beautiful young woman, 29 00:02:25,187 --> 00:02:28,940 sweet and flirtatious. 30 00:02:29,483 --> 00:02:32,486 But the conversation quickly took a turn. 31 00:02:32,486 --> 00:02:33,528 [Cindy] This is his phone. 32 00:02:33,945 --> 00:02:35,072 [Mariana Van Zeller] His phone? Do you mind if I see it? 33 00:02:35,072 --> 00:02:37,407 [Cindy] Uh-hmm. 34 00:02:39,701 --> 00:02:42,079 [Mariana Van Zeller] He says, "Go face a big mirror and take 35 00:02:42,079 --> 00:02:44,247 a full nude photo of you. 36 00:02:44,247 --> 00:02:45,874 Or a video. 37 00:02:45,874 --> 00:02:48,502 If you can't do that, then we can't play." 38 00:02:48,502 --> 00:02:50,837 And then he asks, "How do I know I can trust you?" 39 00:02:50,837 --> 00:02:52,881 "You and me are just going to play and have fun. 40 00:02:52,881 --> 00:02:54,800 No need for trust issues." 41 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,219 [Cindy] And then he does take it at one point. 42 00:02:57,219 --> 00:02:59,096 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, my. 43 00:02:59,096 --> 00:03:00,722 And immediately, it was within seconds. 44 00:03:00,722 --> 00:03:04,393 They said, "So just added, and save all your Facebook friends 45 00:03:04,393 --> 00:03:05,686 on my laptop." 46 00:03:05,977 --> 00:03:07,896 "I am going to send them your nude photo and post it all over 47 00:03:07,896 --> 00:03:11,483 your friend's Facebook timeline, and also to your job. 48 00:03:11,483 --> 00:03:13,610 But I will not do that if you can 49 00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:16,738 send me money right now, okay?" 50 00:03:17,364 --> 00:03:21,243 Jake has become a victim of sextortion, a blackmail scam 51 00:03:21,243 --> 00:03:24,454 in which the criminal coerces someone into sharing sexual 52 00:03:24,454 --> 00:03:26,623 pictures or videos, 53 00:03:26,623 --> 00:03:29,793 and then threatens to release them if they're not paid. 54 00:03:31,128 --> 00:03:34,089 The person chatting with Jake gives him instructions for 55 00:03:34,089 --> 00:03:37,676 making an in-person wire transfer. 56 00:03:38,218 --> 00:03:41,471 Only then will they delete the photo he sent. 57 00:03:43,765 --> 00:03:45,725 And they're pressuring him and pressuring him. 58 00:03:45,725 --> 00:03:47,185 "Are you going now? 59 00:03:47,185 --> 00:03:49,438 Don't take, don't make me wait any longer or else." 60 00:03:49,438 --> 00:03:51,273 [Cindy] It's like they were hounding him 61 00:03:51,273 --> 00:03:52,941 every step of the way. 62 00:03:52,941 --> 00:03:53,900 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, my God. That's so... 63 00:03:54,568 --> 00:03:56,027 [Cindy] So he didn't have time to think it through, you know? 64 00:03:56,027 --> 00:03:57,362 [Mariana Van Zeller] Yeah. 65 00:03:57,362 --> 00:03:59,406 And then he sends a photo of the money, right? 66 00:03:59,406 --> 00:04:01,074 [Cindy] Uh-hmm. 67 00:04:01,074 --> 00:04:02,325 [Mariana Van Zeller] Now he's asking, 68 00:04:02,325 --> 00:04:03,618 "Can you please delete it? 69 00:04:03,618 --> 00:04:04,786 I am a college student and 70 00:04:04,786 --> 00:04:06,329 I don't have that much right now. 71 00:04:06,329 --> 00:04:08,498 I can't live the next two weeks with you blackmailing me. 72 00:04:08,498 --> 00:04:11,209 You are ruining my life. Please." 73 00:04:12,335 --> 00:04:14,921 "You are my slave now." 74 00:04:14,921 --> 00:04:17,716 Jake's blackmailer continues to taunt and pressure him, 75 00:04:17,716 --> 00:04:20,594 and after dozens of messages back and forth, 76 00:04:20,594 --> 00:04:23,972 Jake reaches a breaking point. 77 00:04:23,972 --> 00:04:26,558 "I have decided that if the picture posts, then I will end 78 00:04:26,558 --> 00:04:28,852 my life so I don't have to go through the pain and 79 00:04:28,852 --> 00:04:32,022 embarrassment as I lose my job, my education, and family. 80 00:04:32,022 --> 00:04:33,815 I hope when you find out that I am serious, 81 00:04:33,815 --> 00:04:36,943 that you will feel guilt." 82 00:04:40,030 --> 00:04:44,451 [Cindy] So the next day, he ended up getting a shotgun and 83 00:04:44,451 --> 00:04:47,537 he took his life, so. 84 00:04:47,537 --> 00:04:51,291 This happened from Sunday until Friday. 85 00:04:54,669 --> 00:04:56,463 [Mariana Van Zeller] Do you have the letter that he... 86 00:04:56,463 --> 00:04:58,340 -Yeah. -Wrote for you too? 87 00:04:58,340 --> 00:05:00,842 [Cindy] Uh-huh. 88 00:05:00,842 --> 00:05:04,513 It says, "Dear Mom, I love you so much, and it pains me to 89 00:05:04,513 --> 00:05:06,765 write this. 90 00:05:06,765 --> 00:05:08,683 I am sorry for what I've done. 91 00:05:08,683 --> 00:05:10,769 I have nothing to live for anymore. 92 00:05:10,769 --> 00:05:13,980 I have made a huge mistake that I can't live with. 93 00:05:13,980 --> 00:05:16,399 I lost my way and I couldn't get back. 94 00:05:16,399 --> 00:05:19,236 You were a great mother. Never doubt that. 95 00:05:19,236 --> 00:05:20,987 I love you dearly, Mom. 96 00:05:20,987 --> 00:05:24,783 You will always be my mother and I will always be your baby boy. 97 00:05:27,202 --> 00:05:29,788 Love, Jake." 98 00:05:31,206 --> 00:05:37,212 In such a short time, they destroyed my son. 99 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:40,715 [Mariana Van Zeller] It's the most devastating loss 100 00:05:40,715 --> 00:05:42,634 a parent can face. 101 00:05:42,634 --> 00:05:45,804 And Cindy is not alone. 102 00:05:45,804 --> 00:05:48,265 Sextortion is on the rise. 103 00:05:48,765 --> 00:05:51,768 The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 104 00:05:51,768 --> 00:05:53,645 says that sextortion is one of 105 00:05:53,645 --> 00:05:55,480 the primary dangers that kids 106 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:57,774 face online right now. 107 00:05:58,066 --> 00:06:02,612 In 2022 alone, 7,000 reports were filed with law enforcement 108 00:06:02,612 --> 00:06:04,197 in the US. 109 00:06:04,197 --> 00:06:08,159 And more than a dozen cases resulted in suicide. 110 00:06:08,702 --> 00:06:12,038 [Reporter] The blackmailers demanded $3,500 or they'd 111 00:06:12,038 --> 00:06:15,166 spread his provocative photos around town. 112 00:06:15,750 --> 00:06:18,753 [Mariana Van Zeller] Teenage boys are most at risk. 113 00:06:18,753 --> 00:06:22,299 Experts say they aren't used to being targeted in this way. 114 00:06:22,632 --> 00:06:24,843 They may be more likely to take a blackmailer's threats 115 00:06:24,843 --> 00:06:28,638 seriously and more fearful of asking for help. 116 00:06:29,180 --> 00:06:31,516 [Cindy] He was just too ashamed. 117 00:06:32,350 --> 00:06:34,477 [Mariana Van Zeller] But Jake refused to let his blackmailer 118 00:06:34,477 --> 00:06:37,814 have the last word. 119 00:06:38,106 --> 00:06:41,276 Not only did he keep all the messages, but in his letter to 120 00:06:41,276 --> 00:06:45,614 his mom, he told her exactly where to find his scammer. 121 00:06:45,614 --> 00:06:48,241 [Cindy] "Look at my phone and read the messages that are 122 00:06:48,241 --> 00:06:49,784 in the Kik app." 123 00:06:49,784 --> 00:06:52,078 [Mariana Van Zeller] A sender? Does he have a name here? 124 00:06:52,078 --> 00:06:54,080 [Cindy] Yes. Abril, Aril. 125 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:55,206 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, here. First name, Mariz. 126 00:06:55,206 --> 00:06:56,458 [Cindy] Yeah. 127 00:06:56,458 --> 00:06:59,419 [Mariana Van Zeller] Last name Aril, Abril. 128 00:06:59,419 --> 00:07:03,381 [Cindy] I think he left the information and I believe 129 00:07:03,381 --> 00:07:08,053 he wanted me to be able to do something. 130 00:07:08,053 --> 00:07:09,971 [Mariana Van Zeller] With the clues he left behind, 131 00:07:09,971 --> 00:07:13,850 local authorities were able to trace the money to a small town 132 00:07:13,850 --> 00:07:16,269 in the Philippines. 133 00:07:17,228 --> 00:07:20,440 But the effort stopped there. 134 00:07:21,608 --> 00:07:24,486 After reaching out to authorities in the Philippines, 135 00:07:24,486 --> 00:07:26,946 the sheriff's office claimed there was nothing else they 136 00:07:26,946 --> 00:07:29,407 could do because the perpetrator was 137 00:07:29,407 --> 00:07:32,494 outside their jurisdiction. 138 00:07:33,620 --> 00:07:35,372 [Cindy] And it's happening over and over. 139 00:07:35,372 --> 00:07:36,873 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. 140 00:07:36,873 --> 00:07:40,001 [Cindy] And it just feels like nothing is being done. 141 00:07:40,001 --> 00:07:43,088 I understand that my son pulled the trigger, 142 00:07:43,088 --> 00:07:45,757 but they pushed him to do that. 143 00:07:46,049 --> 00:07:48,635 It feels like a murder. 144 00:07:50,637 --> 00:07:53,181 [Mariana Van Zeller] As a mother of a young teenage boy, 145 00:07:53,181 --> 00:07:56,226 Cindy's story has really affected me, 146 00:07:56,226 --> 00:08:00,188 and as a journalist, I want answers. 147 00:08:01,106 --> 00:08:04,776 Who are the scammers pushing American teens to suicide? 148 00:08:04,776 --> 00:08:08,321 And what can be done to stop this crime? 149 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,160 [Mariana Van Zeller] I've come to Manila, the capital of the 150 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,414 Philippines, to try to track down Jake's blackmailer and 151 00:08:17,414 --> 00:08:19,874 learn more about this industry. 152 00:08:27,340 --> 00:08:29,843 [Mariana Van Zeller] I'm talking to Fernando, an investigative 153 00:08:29,843 --> 00:08:33,722 local journalist who's covered cybercrimes for over a decade. 154 00:08:34,347 --> 00:08:35,849 He wants to remain anonymous 155 00:08:35,849 --> 00:08:38,476 out of fear of the criminals he reports on. 156 00:08:46,234 --> 00:08:48,319 [Mariana Van Zeller] The Philippines is a major tech hub 157 00:08:48,319 --> 00:08:50,697 and a hotspot for cybercrime. 158 00:08:50,697 --> 00:08:53,783 Why is the Philippines such a center of sextortion? 159 00:09:10,008 --> 00:09:11,134 [Mariana Van Zeller] Right. 160 00:09:11,426 --> 00:09:13,344 Since sextortion scammers can work from anywhere, 161 00:09:13,344 --> 00:09:17,599 on any device, these criminals are particularly hard to catch. 162 00:09:26,399 --> 00:09:28,193 [Mariana Van Zeller] One of the stories we've been following 163 00:09:28,193 --> 00:09:32,906 is an American young man called Jake who committed suicide. 164 00:09:33,490 --> 00:09:35,784 And the name of the person that he sent money to here 165 00:09:35,784 --> 00:09:38,328 in the Philippines is Mariz Abril. 166 00:09:38,328 --> 00:09:40,246 Did you ever hear about this name? 167 00:09:41,831 --> 00:09:43,541 [Mariana Van Zeller] It's not a name that's come across 168 00:09:43,541 --> 00:09:44,834 your radar at all? 169 00:09:56,596 --> 00:09:58,306 [Mariana Van Zeller] So where is the center of this all 170 00:09:58,306 --> 00:09:59,140 in the Philippines? 171 00:09:59,682 --> 00:10:01,768 Where should we be spending most of our time in? 172 00:10:03,895 --> 00:10:04,771 [Mariana Van Zeller] North of Manila? 173 00:10:08,233 --> 00:10:11,736 [Mariana Van Zeller] Fernando directs us to Angeles City. 174 00:10:12,695 --> 00:10:15,573 This city has earned an international reputation 175 00:10:15,573 --> 00:10:18,243 for sex tourism. 176 00:10:18,243 --> 00:10:19,786 Hundreds of women and girls 177 00:10:19,786 --> 00:10:22,622 are trafficked into the city each year. 178 00:10:22,622 --> 00:10:25,041 Everywhere I look, I see Filipino girls with 179 00:10:25,041 --> 00:10:27,210 older white men. 180 00:10:27,210 --> 00:10:30,088 Prostitution may be technically illegal in this country 181 00:10:30,088 --> 00:10:32,048 but here in Angeles City, 182 00:10:32,048 --> 00:10:35,593 sex tourism is booming in plain sight. 183 00:10:36,886 --> 00:10:39,013 Typically I'd meet an underground contact in 184 00:10:39,013 --> 00:10:42,725 a secret location, but not tonight. 185 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:47,689 My contact tells me to meet her at her work and to come in 186 00:10:47,689 --> 00:10:49,649 through the front door. 187 00:10:49,649 --> 00:10:51,401 Wow. 188 00:10:58,032 --> 00:11:04,789 [♪ Filipino music] 189 00:11:08,751 --> 00:11:15,383 [singing in Filipino]. 190 00:11:18,845 --> 00:11:21,723 [♪ club music] 191 00:11:30,481 --> 00:11:32,233 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. 192 00:11:32,233 --> 00:11:36,696 This is Yumi, a drag performer who dances at a local gay bar. 193 00:11:36,696 --> 00:11:38,656 But like many in Angeles City, 194 00:11:38,656 --> 00:11:41,701 she turned to scamming during the pandemic. 195 00:11:46,581 --> 00:11:50,543 After her show, Yumi took me backstage to share her story. 196 00:11:51,127 --> 00:11:53,504 She tells me she started a virtual relationship 197 00:11:53,504 --> 00:11:55,298 with a German man. 198 00:11:55,298 --> 00:11:58,301 But when he suggested that they turn their chat sexual, 199 00:11:58,301 --> 00:12:01,220 Yumi started recording. 200 00:12:03,097 --> 00:12:05,141 [Mariana Van Zeller] So you had video sex 201 00:12:05,141 --> 00:12:06,392 and you recorded that sex, that video? 202 00:12:11,898 --> 00:12:12,523 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. 203 00:12:24,410 --> 00:12:25,578 [Mariana Van Zeller] Did he send you the money? 204 00:12:27,246 --> 00:12:28,539 [Mariana Van Zeller] How much money did he send you? 205 00:12:30,541 --> 00:12:31,501 [Mariana Van Zeller] Thousand pesos. Okay. 206 00:12:31,876 --> 00:12:34,545 So he ended up giving you or sending you $3,000? 207 00:12:35,797 --> 00:12:37,340 [Mariana Van Zeller] The money was easy. 208 00:12:37,340 --> 00:12:38,800 Really easy. 209 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,010 So Yumi started extorting other men she was 210 00:12:41,010 --> 00:12:42,929 chatting with online. 211 00:12:42,929 --> 00:12:45,556 When people stopped paying you, did you ever actually 212 00:12:45,556 --> 00:12:47,350 share those videos or photos 213 00:12:47,350 --> 00:12:49,978 with the family members or friends? 214 00:12:49,978 --> 00:12:51,104 [Yumi] Hmm. 215 00:12:55,066 --> 00:12:57,151 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. Do you know a lot of people 216 00:12:57,151 --> 00:12:58,903 that have done this kind of blackmailing, sextortion? 217 00:13:02,365 --> 00:13:05,076 [Mariana Van Zeller] Hm. Do they do it like you, by themselves? 218 00:13:05,076 --> 00:13:06,035 [Yumi] No. 219 00:13:09,706 --> 00:13:10,957 [Mariana Van Zeller] Full of people working on a computer? 220 00:13:12,375 --> 00:13:14,752 [Mariana Van Zeller] Yumi is a lone wolf scammer, someone who 221 00:13:14,752 --> 00:13:18,506 preys upon her own online contacts to make a few extra 222 00:13:18,506 --> 00:13:20,466 bucks a month. 223 00:13:20,466 --> 00:13:23,386 But what she's describing is a more ambitious operation, 224 00:13:23,386 --> 00:13:26,389 set up like a legal call center. 225 00:13:26,848 --> 00:13:30,685 A sea of cubicles staffed with employees whose sole job 226 00:13:30,685 --> 00:13:34,397 is to scam and extort money from foreigners. 227 00:13:35,023 --> 00:13:40,069 There is a name of a person that we have been trying to find. 228 00:13:40,570 --> 00:13:43,656 Her name is Mariz Abril. 229 00:13:43,656 --> 00:13:45,742 Have you ever heard of anyone called Mariz Abril? 230 00:13:49,662 --> 00:13:51,539 [Mariana Van Zeller] Yumi says that she's not involved in 231 00:13:51,539 --> 00:13:53,374 sextortion anymore. 232 00:13:53,374 --> 00:13:54,959 After doing it a few times, 233 00:13:54,959 --> 00:13:57,712 she started feeling bad for her victims. 234 00:13:59,297 --> 00:14:01,674 We hit a dead end, 235 00:14:01,674 --> 00:14:04,177 until one of Fernando's inside sources sends us 236 00:14:04,177 --> 00:14:09,682 a lead on a sextortion ring 30 miles north in Bulacan. 237 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:14,937 [typing] 238 00:14:17,565 --> 00:14:18,649 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. 239 00:14:22,904 --> 00:14:25,281 [Mariana Van Zeller] This is a scammer we'll call Claudia. 240 00:14:25,281 --> 00:14:28,117 Before she got involved in sextortion, she was earning 241 00:14:28,117 --> 00:14:31,037 $6 a day selling tea towels 242 00:14:31,037 --> 00:14:33,706 while trying to care for her eight children. 243 00:14:43,466 --> 00:14:45,468 [Mariana Van Zeller] Claudia was recruited by a friend who 244 00:14:45,468 --> 00:14:49,472 told her she could make 10 times more money in sextortion. 245 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,935 She started working in an office much like this one. 246 00:14:53,935 --> 00:14:56,562 The only difference was that Claudia's had armed guards 247 00:14:56,562 --> 00:14:58,356 at the door. 248 00:14:58,356 --> 00:15:01,275 You started chatting mainly with foreigners? 249 00:15:01,275 --> 00:15:02,568 -Yes. -Which countries? 250 00:15:05,905 --> 00:15:08,991 [Mariana Van Zeller] How did the structure inside the group work? 251 00:15:16,833 --> 00:15:18,626 [Mariana Van Zeller] So there's a supervisor basically 252 00:15:18,626 --> 00:15:20,878 walking and making sure you're doing your job? 253 00:15:23,005 --> 00:15:25,716 [Mariana Van Zeller] Claudia was assigned the role of a chatter. 254 00:15:25,716 --> 00:15:27,927 The person who sends messages to the victim and 255 00:15:27,927 --> 00:15:30,263 records their interactions. 256 00:15:30,263 --> 00:15:33,307 She worked on Facebook and Instagram, but chatters have 257 00:15:33,307 --> 00:15:36,519 also been known to use encrypted messaging apps 258 00:15:36,519 --> 00:15:39,856 and dating platforms like Tinder and Bumble. 259 00:15:40,398 --> 00:15:43,067 After you got them to do the video, somebody else would 260 00:15:43,067 --> 00:15:44,694 start the blackmailing. 261 00:15:44,694 --> 00:15:46,404 And somebody else would get the money. 262 00:15:46,404 --> 00:15:48,573 When the victims send the money, who do they send the 263 00:15:48,573 --> 00:15:51,409 money to, was it to you or, who was sent to? 264 00:16:10,970 --> 00:16:13,014 [Mariana Van Zeller] Because of the intimacy of the crime, 265 00:16:13,014 --> 00:16:16,184 I had always imagined that sextortion scammers work 266 00:16:16,184 --> 00:16:18,352 one-on-one with their victims. 267 00:16:18,352 --> 00:16:22,940 But Claudia is describing a highly-organized operation. 268 00:16:22,940 --> 00:16:26,027 This means that Jake's scammer, Mariz Abril, 269 00:16:26,027 --> 00:16:27,570 if that's even her real name, 270 00:16:27,570 --> 00:16:31,866 might have been a part of a much bigger machine. 271 00:16:31,866 --> 00:16:34,827 There may have been a whole team of sextortion workers 272 00:16:34,827 --> 00:16:36,954 manipulating him. 273 00:16:36,954 --> 00:16:40,291 Claudia either doesn't know who the big boss is, 274 00:16:40,291 --> 00:16:42,835 or she doesn't want to tell me. 275 00:16:42,835 --> 00:16:46,255 But I have to know, who's at the very top? 276 00:16:47,256 --> 00:16:49,383 While these scamming operations are constantly 277 00:16:49,383 --> 00:16:51,844 in flux and difficult to track, 278 00:16:51,844 --> 00:16:54,639 one person keeps popping up in our investigation. 279 00:17:04,398 --> 00:17:07,401 [Mariana Van Zeller] She goes by many names, Maria Cabrera, 280 00:17:07,401 --> 00:17:10,988 Cabreras, Caparas, Maria Cecilia. 281 00:17:10,988 --> 00:17:14,992 And rumors have it that she invented the sextortion scam. 282 00:17:26,587 --> 00:17:29,548 [Mariana Van Zeller] Maria grew up in the slums of Manila, 283 00:17:29,548 --> 00:17:33,219 relying on work in the cyber porn industry for survival. 284 00:17:34,136 --> 00:17:36,264 At some point, it seems like Maria decided to 285 00:17:36,264 --> 00:17:38,558 turn the tables. 286 00:17:38,558 --> 00:17:41,102 She started building a criminal empire that targets 287 00:17:41,102 --> 00:17:43,312 foreign men. 288 00:17:44,522 --> 00:17:46,482 She has been arrested many times, 289 00:17:46,482 --> 00:17:50,236 once in a high-profile Interpol-led raid, 290 00:17:50,236 --> 00:17:52,863 but she's always inexplicably released. 291 00:17:56,242 --> 00:17:59,578 [Mariana] So, our goal here was to find Mariz Abril, 292 00:17:59,578 --> 00:18:01,789 but there is a chance that actually we're looking 293 00:18:01,789 --> 00:18:03,624 for the wrong person, and... 294 00:18:04,959 --> 00:18:06,294 [Mariana Van Zeller] And we should be looking for the head 295 00:18:06,294 --> 00:18:08,671 of the syndicate, Maria Cabreras, 296 00:18:08,671 --> 00:18:10,256 'cause there is a good chance that it was part of her 297 00:18:10,256 --> 00:18:11,841 syndicate that did this to Jake. 298 00:18:21,350 --> 00:18:21,851 [Mariana Van Zeller] Yeah. 299 00:18:23,644 --> 00:18:26,564 [Mariana Van Zeller] Wow. That's huge. 300 00:18:26,564 --> 00:18:29,483 I want to work my way up to the top, to the person 301 00:18:29,483 --> 00:18:31,861 credited with the birth of this industry, 302 00:18:31,861 --> 00:18:35,614 the same industry responsible for Jake's death. 303 00:18:36,032 --> 00:18:39,076 Fernando's contact could be my way in. 304 00:18:39,076 --> 00:18:41,871 Okay, so you're gonna talk to her and see if she agrees to 305 00:18:41,871 --> 00:18:42,955 talk to us? 306 00:18:48,628 --> 00:18:50,296 [Mariana Van Zeller] What's the, is it the authorities? 307 00:18:50,296 --> 00:18:52,423 What are they concerned about? 308 00:18:58,262 --> 00:18:59,680 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, my God. 309 00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:02,141 So, bruised, their whole back is bruised. 310 00:19:02,141 --> 00:19:03,934 They were beat? 311 00:19:05,936 --> 00:19:08,147 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, my God. 312 00:19:17,114 --> 00:19:19,116 [Mariana Van Zeller] I think this is it. 313 00:19:20,618 --> 00:19:23,579 We got a call last night telling us that one of the 314 00:19:23,579 --> 00:19:26,707 scammers he knows has agreed to speak to us. 315 00:19:26,707 --> 00:19:29,668 It's in this property that we've been driving now 316 00:19:29,668 --> 00:19:31,545 for a few minutes. 317 00:19:31,545 --> 00:19:34,423 It's supposedly at the end of this road, there is a house 318 00:19:34,423 --> 00:19:36,967 where this person is waiting for us. 319 00:19:39,220 --> 00:19:45,101 [♪ unsettling music] 320 00:19:58,989 --> 00:20:01,367 [Mariana Van Zeller] Jamie, not her real name, is known as 321 00:20:01,367 --> 00:20:04,620 one of the most prolific scammers in this area. 322 00:20:04,912 --> 00:20:08,958 Have you ever actually went through with the blackmail and 323 00:20:08,958 --> 00:20:12,294 sent the video to the family or friends 324 00:20:12,294 --> 00:20:14,588 when they don't pay? 325 00:20:16,215 --> 00:20:18,467 [Mariana Van Zeller] You have? Really? 326 00:20:24,724 --> 00:20:26,726 [Mariana Van Zeller] Did you feel bad about doing that? 327 00:20:26,726 --> 00:20:28,477 Maybe you ruined this person's life? 328 00:20:28,477 --> 00:20:30,104 Do you think about that? 329 00:20:56,088 --> 00:20:57,214 [Host] Philippines. 330 00:20:57,631 --> 00:20:59,425 [Mariana Van Zeller] Before the pandemic, Jamie says she 331 00:20:59,425 --> 00:21:02,970 earned money competing in transgender beauty pageants, 332 00:21:02,970 --> 00:21:05,723 popular events in the Philippines that can be 333 00:21:05,723 --> 00:21:07,683 a path out of poverty. 334 00:21:07,683 --> 00:21:10,227 But those events were canceled during the pandemic. 335 00:21:10,227 --> 00:21:13,272 And to make matters worse, trans-women were excluded 336 00:21:13,272 --> 00:21:15,524 from government assistance. 337 00:21:15,524 --> 00:21:19,570 Transphobia in the mainstream workforce limits career options. 338 00:21:19,570 --> 00:21:23,657 That's why many in Jamie's community turn to sex work for 339 00:21:23,657 --> 00:21:27,453 survival, but Jamie discovered another path. 340 00:21:29,413 --> 00:21:31,373 When did you find out about sextortion? 341 00:21:48,849 --> 00:21:50,810 [Mariana Van Zeller] We heard a lot about the 342 00:21:50,810 --> 00:21:52,645 Queen of Sextortion, as she is known, 343 00:21:52,645 --> 00:21:53,646 Maria Cabrera. 344 00:21:54,855 --> 00:21:55,356 [Mariana Van Zeller] That's her? 345 00:22:01,862 --> 00:22:04,240 [Mariana Van Zeller] Maria Cabreras is known to recruit 346 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:06,492 impoverished youth. 347 00:22:06,492 --> 00:22:09,495 She has plucked dozens, if not hundreds of teens 348 00:22:09,495 --> 00:22:11,622 off the streets. 349 00:22:11,622 --> 00:22:14,542 She taught Jamie and these other young scammers how to 350 00:22:14,542 --> 00:22:18,087 find victims, how to flirt with them and how to use 351 00:22:18,087 --> 00:22:21,799 pre-recorded videos ripped from porn sites to fool them 352 00:22:21,799 --> 00:22:24,969 into thinking they were interacting with real people. 353 00:22:29,515 --> 00:22:32,268 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. How young do they start? 354 00:22:34,854 --> 00:22:37,189 [Mariana Van Zeller] Wow. That's my son's age. 355 00:22:37,189 --> 00:22:40,776 I can't imagine him, not only scamming, but also seeing 356 00:22:40,776 --> 00:22:43,404 these videos and these photos from the victims. 357 00:22:43,404 --> 00:22:45,447 It's so young. 358 00:22:45,447 --> 00:22:48,659 What can happen to you if Maria finds out you were 359 00:22:48,659 --> 00:22:50,244 talking to us? 360 00:22:57,376 --> 00:23:00,129 [Mariana Van Zeller] Really? So why are you talking to us? 361 00:23:09,513 --> 00:23:11,682 [Mariana Van Zeller] Do you think Maria would talk to us? 362 00:23:11,682 --> 00:23:12,808 [speaking Filipino] 363 00:23:12,808 --> 00:23:13,976 [Mariana Van Zeller] No? 364 00:23:15,394 --> 00:23:16,020 [Mariana Van Zeller] What's that? 365 00:23:17,771 --> 00:23:19,815 -Be careful? -Yes. 366 00:23:26,697 --> 00:23:28,198 [Mariana Van Zeller] We don't know for sure if Maria's 367 00:23:28,198 --> 00:23:31,243 syndicate was behind Jake's sextortion. 368 00:23:31,243 --> 00:23:34,121 The operation is powerful and elusive, 369 00:23:34,121 --> 00:23:37,541 her scammers hidden behind fake IDs. 370 00:23:38,292 --> 00:23:41,629 But we do know that the money Jake wired was traced to a 371 00:23:41,629 --> 00:23:45,090 bank in the region Maria calls home. 372 00:23:45,090 --> 00:23:49,386 So I'm setting my sights on the Queen of Sextortion. 373 00:23:51,180 --> 00:23:54,433 The last we heard, Maria was based in a little town called 374 00:23:54,433 --> 00:23:57,728 North Hills, which she'd converted into her own 375 00:23:57,728 --> 00:24:00,189 scamming empire. 376 00:24:00,189 --> 00:24:02,316 [crowing] 377 00:24:02,316 --> 00:24:04,526 [snorting] 378 00:24:04,526 --> 00:24:06,403 But before I go to North Hills, 379 00:24:06,403 --> 00:24:09,198 I want to understand what I'll be walking into. 380 00:24:22,044 --> 00:24:24,630 [Mariana Van Zeller] Peter, not his real name, 381 00:24:24,630 --> 00:24:26,799 is a government official 382 00:24:26,799 --> 00:24:29,468 who asked us not to disclose his location. 383 00:24:29,468 --> 00:24:32,012 He's witnessed the corruptive power of the sextortion 384 00:24:32,012 --> 00:24:34,473 industry first-hand. 385 00:24:34,473 --> 00:24:37,518 It took a long time to convince him to talk to us. 386 00:24:37,518 --> 00:24:40,688 But he finally decided it was worth the risk. 387 00:24:40,688 --> 00:24:42,690 You don't want your face shown. 388 00:24:49,405 --> 00:24:50,614 -Dangerous. -Uh-hmm. 389 00:25:06,547 --> 00:25:09,466 [Mariana Van Zeller] Wow. That's a really strong accusation. 390 00:25:09,717 --> 00:25:12,344 Corruption in the Philippines has spiked in recent years. 391 00:25:13,053 --> 00:25:16,181 Dirty money has made its way into politics, elections. 392 00:25:16,181 --> 00:25:18,809 And even the judicial system. 393 00:25:28,861 --> 00:25:31,238 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, so this is as dangerous a time as 394 00:25:31,238 --> 00:25:33,240 any to go and look for her, I guess? 395 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:34,366 [Peter] Uh-hmm. 396 00:25:34,700 --> 00:25:36,160 [Mariana Van Zeller] What advice do you have for us? 397 00:25:46,879 --> 00:25:49,256 -To us. -Uh-hmm. 398 00:25:49,256 --> 00:25:50,382 [Mariana Van Zeller] Yeah. 399 00:25:50,382 --> 00:25:51,216 Starting to think that maybe 400 00:25:51,508 --> 00:25:54,011 this is not a great idea after all. 401 00:25:54,595 --> 00:25:56,388 We're in the thick of it now. 402 00:26:04,730 --> 00:26:06,857 [grinding] 403 00:26:06,857 --> 00:26:08,734 [sizzling] 404 00:26:11,862 --> 00:26:13,655 [honking] 405 00:26:13,989 --> 00:26:15,407 [Mariana Van Zeller] We're gonna start getting people 406 00:26:15,407 --> 00:26:17,451 looking at us because, you know, this isn't a very 407 00:26:17,451 --> 00:26:20,037 touristy area and they definitely don't see people 408 00:26:20,037 --> 00:26:22,623 with cameras coming here. 409 00:26:22,956 --> 00:26:26,251 Underneath the veneer of quiet village life, North Hills 410 00:26:26,251 --> 00:26:29,254 hides a checkered history of corruption. 411 00:26:29,797 --> 00:26:32,716 Maria Cabreras, the Queen of Sextortion, 412 00:26:32,716 --> 00:26:34,718 based her operation here. 413 00:26:34,718 --> 00:26:38,347 And we have reason to believe she's still in the game. 414 00:26:58,992 --> 00:27:01,203 [Mariana Van Zeller] Maria's social media accounts are 415 00:27:01,203 --> 00:27:03,413 filled with pictures of her hanging out 416 00:27:03,413 --> 00:27:05,833 with local politicians. 417 00:27:06,375 --> 00:27:09,837 She apparently owns a gym and a youth center, which we hear 418 00:27:09,837 --> 00:27:13,340 she's used as a hunting ground for new recruits. 419 00:27:13,924 --> 00:27:15,884 It's here. 420 00:27:16,468 --> 00:27:19,513 Our local producer suggests we keep the cameras in the car, 421 00:27:19,513 --> 00:27:22,474 as they would attract too much attention. 422 00:27:22,850 --> 00:27:25,143 I'm a little anxious just because of all the warnings 423 00:27:25,143 --> 00:27:27,479 and people who told us we shouldn't come, 424 00:27:27,479 --> 00:27:31,358 but I'm hoping we'll find someone to talk to. 425 00:27:31,358 --> 00:27:33,777 Yeah, and I think this is it, guys. 426 00:27:33,777 --> 00:27:36,113 We're in the thick of it now. 427 00:27:36,113 --> 00:27:38,115 Hi. Can I ask you a question? 428 00:27:40,576 --> 00:27:43,704 [Mariana Van Zeller] Yes. Okay, Fred, maybe put the camera down. 429 00:27:44,955 --> 00:27:45,998 Hi. 430 00:27:49,293 --> 00:27:50,502 [Mariana Van Zeller] Maria Cabrera. 431 00:27:54,298 --> 00:27:56,925 [Mariana Van Zeller] Okay. Okay. 432 00:27:57,301 --> 00:28:00,012 You can put the cameras back up. 433 00:28:11,481 --> 00:28:13,775 Well, this is like the mayorship? 434 00:28:13,775 --> 00:28:16,153 Oh, it's like the city hall? Okay. 435 00:28:18,530 --> 00:28:20,032 [Mariana Van Zeller] Yeah. So this is like the city hall? 436 00:28:22,618 --> 00:28:23,744 [Mariana Van Zeller] Small city hall. Okay. 437 00:28:23,744 --> 00:28:24,745 And they can help me, maybe? 438 00:28:27,247 --> 00:28:27,831 [Mariana Van Zeller] They have the records, okay. 439 00:28:29,625 --> 00:28:33,170 [Mariana Van Zeller] Let's see what happens. 440 00:28:35,505 --> 00:28:37,549 Thank you. 441 00:28:42,095 --> 00:28:44,389 [♪ distorted music] 442 00:28:44,389 --> 00:28:46,725 [knocking] 443 00:28:47,309 --> 00:28:50,479 Hi, Mariana. My name's Mariana. 444 00:28:50,771 --> 00:28:53,982 Inside the city hall, I meet two women. 445 00:28:53,982 --> 00:28:57,194 We're looking for somebody that I think lives in this region? 446 00:28:57,194 --> 00:28:59,863 Her name is Maria Cabreras? 447 00:28:59,863 --> 00:29:01,823 Maria Cecilia Cabrera? 448 00:29:01,823 --> 00:29:03,909 She doesn't live here anymore? 449 00:29:03,909 --> 00:29:06,495 The women tell me that Maria no longer lives in 450 00:29:06,495 --> 00:29:09,581 North Hills, but her sister does. 451 00:29:09,581 --> 00:29:11,541 The sister lives here? 452 00:29:11,541 --> 00:29:13,377 Do you know where the sister lives? 453 00:29:13,377 --> 00:29:15,045 After a bit of back and forth, 454 00:29:15,045 --> 00:29:18,006 they agreed to help us track her sister down. 455 00:29:18,006 --> 00:29:19,549 Okay. The sister of Cabrera. 456 00:29:19,549 --> 00:29:21,009 Okay. Great! 457 00:29:21,009 --> 00:29:23,303 And if you could accompany us, that would be great. 458 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,765 Just as it seemed like we were about to catch a big break, 459 00:29:26,765 --> 00:29:29,434 one of the women decides to make a phone call, 460 00:29:29,434 --> 00:29:32,270 and everything changes. 461 00:29:33,397 --> 00:29:34,898 Okay. 462 00:29:35,691 --> 00:29:37,818 [honking] 463 00:29:40,570 --> 00:29:43,448 I think, uh, Dan, who is our local producer, 464 00:29:43,448 --> 00:29:45,117 was just talking to them. 465 00:29:50,789 --> 00:29:51,915 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, so they wanna figure out what 466 00:29:51,915 --> 00:29:53,000 we're doing here? 467 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:53,917 -Yes. -The local police is coming? 468 00:29:57,254 --> 00:29:58,171 -They're alarmed. -Yes. 469 00:29:58,505 --> 00:29:59,006 [Mariana Van Zeller] Should we be worried? 470 00:30:01,925 --> 00:30:02,718 [Mariana] Oh, they're not gonna allow us to film anymore. 471 00:30:04,052 --> 00:30:05,429 [Mariana] So you don't think we can go and talk to the sister? 472 00:30:10,976 --> 00:30:12,352 [Mariana Van Zeller] Or they can kick us out, okay. 473 00:30:12,352 --> 00:30:14,521 Thank you, Dan. 474 00:30:15,063 --> 00:30:18,191 Yeah. So, he says the people here are alarmed. 475 00:30:18,191 --> 00:30:20,944 They've called. They've seen the cameras. 476 00:30:20,944 --> 00:30:22,904 They've seen our car with a bunch of foreigners driving 477 00:30:22,904 --> 00:30:26,783 around and they're coming to ask us questions. 478 00:30:26,783 --> 00:30:30,037 He thinks they're gonna shut down our filming immediately 479 00:30:30,037 --> 00:30:32,039 and they're ask, they're gonna ask us to leave town. 480 00:30:32,039 --> 00:30:36,668 What's happening, Dan? What's happening? 481 00:30:42,674 --> 00:30:44,926 [Mariana Van Zeller] Hi, how are you? Mariana. 482 00:30:48,555 --> 00:30:51,516 [Mariana Van Zeller] Okay. So who is this lady? Sorry. 483 00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:53,894 [speaking Filipino]. 484 00:30:56,146 --> 00:30:57,981 -Volunteer security? -Yes. 485 00:30:57,981 --> 00:30:59,399 [Mariana Van Zeller] We just want to see if we can find 486 00:30:59,399 --> 00:31:01,151 Maria Cabreras or her sister. 487 00:31:06,656 --> 00:31:08,909 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, the leader called you and said 488 00:31:08,909 --> 00:31:10,368 that we had to leave? 489 00:31:11,286 --> 00:31:12,245 [Mariana Van Zeller] Can somebody show us where 490 00:31:12,245 --> 00:31:13,538 Maria Cabrera's sister lives? 491 00:31:13,538 --> 00:31:15,248 [speaking Filipino]. 492 00:31:15,248 --> 00:31:17,125 [Mariana Van Zeller] Without cameras, nothing. 493 00:31:19,419 --> 00:31:23,965 [speaking Filipino] 494 00:31:25,759 --> 00:31:26,551 [Mariana Van Zeller] Why? 495 00:31:32,182 --> 00:31:35,310 [speaking Filipino] 496 00:31:35,310 --> 00:31:36,394 [Mariana Van Zeller] You don't want to show us. 497 00:31:38,063 --> 00:31:39,231 [Mariana Van Zeller] To leave? Okay. So they're... 498 00:31:39,231 --> 00:31:40,107 [speaking Filipino] 499 00:31:40,607 --> 00:31:42,067 [Mariana Van Zeller] Okay, thank you. Thank you. 500 00:31:43,485 --> 00:31:46,446 Our presence here is clearly raising alarms, 501 00:31:46,446 --> 00:31:49,533 and our local producer is getting nervous. 502 00:31:49,533 --> 00:31:51,326 Yeah. Okay. 503 00:31:53,745 --> 00:31:53,912 [Mariana Van Zeller] We need to go? 504 00:31:56,540 --> 00:31:57,916 [Mariana They're telling you that we have to leave right now. 505 00:31:59,042 --> 00:32:00,252 [Mariana Van Zeller] Do you wanna get back in the car? 506 00:32:02,045 --> 00:32:04,172 [Mariana Van Zeller] Nobody wants us here essentially. 507 00:32:04,172 --> 00:32:06,341 Yeah. The idea is nobody wants us here. 508 00:32:10,679 --> 00:32:12,347 As a journalist, 509 00:32:12,347 --> 00:32:15,392 the worst feeling is being forced to turn away. 510 00:32:15,725 --> 00:32:19,104 I've become so invested in this story and I feel like 511 00:32:19,104 --> 00:32:22,732 I owe it to Cindy, to Jake's mother, to uncover as much as 512 00:32:22,732 --> 00:32:26,111 I can about the sextortion industry. 513 00:32:26,444 --> 00:32:29,531 But these scammers seem to be operating with impunity. 514 00:32:35,537 --> 00:32:36,580 Hello. 515 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,124 So I'm surprised when my local producer tells me about a 516 00:32:39,124 --> 00:32:42,502 person who's actually being held in a jail nearby 517 00:32:42,502 --> 00:32:45,672 for crimes related to sextortion. 518 00:32:45,672 --> 00:32:46,882 Hello. 519 00:32:46,882 --> 00:32:49,885 And he's willing to talk to us. 520 00:32:58,602 --> 00:33:00,437 [clapping] 521 00:33:00,437 --> 00:33:02,898 This jail houses all types of criminals 522 00:33:02,898 --> 00:33:05,859 and is massively overcrowded. 523 00:33:10,739 --> 00:33:14,701 I'm introduced to a young man we'll call Diego, 524 00:33:14,701 --> 00:33:17,871 who shares a cell with over a dozen other inmates. 525 00:33:17,871 --> 00:33:19,497 How old are you? 526 00:33:22,125 --> 00:33:23,960 [Mariana Van Zeller] I'm struck by the fact that Diego 527 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:26,838 is only a few years older than Jake was 528 00:33:26,838 --> 00:33:29,174 when he took his own life. 529 00:33:29,174 --> 00:33:30,592 So was it men you scammed? 530 00:33:31,635 --> 00:33:32,677 [Mariana Van Zeller] Women? 531 00:33:34,179 --> 00:33:35,805 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, that's the first time we heard that. 532 00:33:35,805 --> 00:33:38,725 Diego was arrested for sextorting Filipino women 533 00:33:38,725 --> 00:33:41,978 on dating apps for small amounts of money. 534 00:33:41,978 --> 00:33:46,399 But now he admits to crimes he's never been charged for. 535 00:33:50,445 --> 00:33:51,863 [Mariana Van Zeller] Like which countries? 536 00:33:55,033 --> 00:33:56,993 [Mariana Van Zeller] Diego says he was never recruited to 537 00:33:56,993 --> 00:33:59,037 work for Maria Cabreras, 538 00:33:59,037 --> 00:34:01,581 but at some point, he says he upped his game, 539 00:34:01,581 --> 00:34:03,833 adopting her syndicate's methods. 540 00:34:04,376 --> 00:34:06,586 We spent time in the United States with families who lost 541 00:34:06,586 --> 00:34:10,382 their sons because they committed suicide 542 00:34:10,382 --> 00:34:12,425 because of sextortion. 543 00:34:13,551 --> 00:34:15,470 [Mariana Van Zeller] You never heard this? 544 00:34:15,470 --> 00:34:17,973 No one ever said, "I'm going to kill myself if you continue 545 00:34:17,973 --> 00:34:20,475 asking me for money, blackmailing me?" 546 00:34:21,893 --> 00:34:22,894 [Mariana Van Zeller] Did they kill themselves? 547 00:34:24,729 --> 00:34:25,355 [Mariana Van Zeller] They died? 548 00:34:26,314 --> 00:34:28,108 [Mariana Van Zeller] How did you find out he killed himself? 549 00:34:32,737 --> 00:34:34,281 [Mariana] Oh, that's horrible. And you saw it happening? 550 00:34:35,198 --> 00:34:36,449 [Mariana Van Zeller] What did you say? 551 00:34:36,449 --> 00:34:37,701 Didn't you ask him to stop? 552 00:34:43,707 --> 00:34:46,209 [Mariana Van Zeller] Oh, my God. That is horrible. 553 00:34:46,209 --> 00:34:48,336 How much money were you trying to get from him? 554 00:34:50,046 --> 00:34:50,380 [Mariana Van Zeller] $1,000? 555 00:34:56,553 --> 00:34:58,054 [Mariana Van Zeller] So why do you think he committed suicide? 556 00:35:13,445 --> 00:35:14,946 [Mariana Van Zeller] So if he was begging you to stop, 557 00:35:14,946 --> 00:35:16,698 why didn't you stop? 558 00:35:25,790 --> 00:35:27,208 [Mariana Van Zeller] No, you did not! 559 00:35:27,208 --> 00:35:29,044 So you said, you said, "Just do it, I don't care."? 560 00:35:30,086 --> 00:35:30,754 [Mariana Van Zeller] Why? 561 00:35:35,508 --> 00:35:37,260 [Mariana Van Zeller] So you thought he was lying, 562 00:35:37,260 --> 00:35:38,970 just bluffing because others had said the same thing? 563 00:35:39,888 --> 00:35:41,973 [Mariana Van Zeller] But nobody had actually done it? 564 00:35:43,224 --> 00:35:44,851 [Mariana Van Zeller] Nobody had actually, are you sure 565 00:35:44,851 --> 00:35:46,519 nobody else did it? 566 00:35:49,773 --> 00:35:53,151 [Mariana Van Zeller] We spent time with mothers of kids 567 00:35:53,151 --> 00:35:55,195 who committed suicide. 568 00:35:55,195 --> 00:35:59,366 And seeing their pain and seeing them cry, 569 00:35:59,366 --> 00:36:00,992 sorry I'm gonna get emotional. 570 00:36:00,992 --> 00:36:03,953 But it's very, very hard to know that this is happening. 571 00:36:03,953 --> 00:36:07,332 And to now be with you here and seeing somebody who 572 00:36:07,332 --> 00:36:09,542 in many ways was responsible for somebody, 573 00:36:09,542 --> 00:36:13,088 for somebody's death, right? 574 00:36:13,963 --> 00:36:16,508 Do you know that he committed suicide because of 575 00:36:16,508 --> 00:36:18,468 what you did to him? 576 00:36:33,566 --> 00:36:35,568 [Mariana Van Zeller] Hearing Diego admit to driving a 577 00:36:35,568 --> 00:36:38,613 person to suicide makes it hard to believe that this 578 00:36:38,613 --> 00:36:41,991 crime is not the reason he's in jail. 579 00:36:41,991 --> 00:36:44,953 Transnational scams are hard to prosecute. 580 00:36:44,953 --> 00:36:48,123 And Filipino authorities seem more concerned with crimes 581 00:36:48,123 --> 00:36:51,126 committed against locals than foreigners. 582 00:36:51,876 --> 00:36:54,546 I don't know whether Maria Cabreras still lives 583 00:36:54,546 --> 00:36:58,800 in North Hills, but her legacy is very much alive, 584 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:01,803 in the corruptive power of her syndicate 585 00:37:01,803 --> 00:37:05,098 and the ruthless playbook she created. 586 00:37:07,934 --> 00:37:11,938 Combating sextortion requires updated legislation, 587 00:37:11,938 --> 00:37:15,191 significant resources, and collaboration between 588 00:37:15,191 --> 00:37:18,486 law enforcement agencies around the world. 589 00:37:18,486 --> 00:37:23,533 But these things rarely happen, so these crimes continue. 590 00:37:25,827 --> 00:37:29,581 As does the pain they cause. 591 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:37,213 [wind chimes tinkling] 592 00:37:41,384 --> 00:37:44,179 [Brandon Guffey] It sounded like a bowling ball coming down 593 00:37:44,179 --> 00:37:46,181 from a top shelf. 594 00:37:46,181 --> 00:37:49,225 I ran in there and yelled his name. 595 00:37:49,225 --> 00:37:50,810 He didn't answer, so I immediately just shouldered 596 00:37:50,810 --> 00:37:52,562 the door in. 597 00:37:52,562 --> 00:37:56,774 I'm yelling to call 911 to my wife, but as I put my hand on 598 00:37:56,774 --> 00:37:59,736 his artery, I could just feel, it felt like a hose pipe, the 599 00:37:59,736 --> 00:38:03,198 blood was leaving very, very quickly. 600 00:38:03,865 --> 00:38:08,077 And I just sat there holding him until I couldn't feel the 601 00:38:08,077 --> 00:38:10,580 blood coming out anymore. 602 00:38:10,830 --> 00:38:14,375 [Mariana Van Zeller] On July 27th, 2022, Brandon Guffey's 603 00:38:14,375 --> 00:38:19,506 17-year-old son, Gavin, ended his life after falling victim 604 00:38:19,506 --> 00:38:23,426 to sextortion by someone pretending to be a college girl 605 00:38:23,426 --> 00:38:26,012 from a few towns over. 606 00:38:26,012 --> 00:38:27,764 [Brandon Guffey] After everything happened with Gavin, 607 00:38:27,764 --> 00:38:30,225 I was in such a dark place. 608 00:38:30,225 --> 00:38:31,935 I wanted to resign from the House. 609 00:38:31,935 --> 00:38:33,978 My wife's like, "Absolutely not. 610 00:38:33,978 --> 00:38:36,814 You're one of the few people that can make a change." 611 00:38:36,814 --> 00:38:38,858 [Mariana Van Zeller] Guffey is a delegate in the 612 00:38:38,858 --> 00:38:41,653 South Carolina House of Representatives. 613 00:38:41,653 --> 00:38:44,697 [Brandon Guffey] Today we will be debating Gavin's bill 614 00:38:44,697 --> 00:38:46,282 on the floor. 615 00:38:46,282 --> 00:38:48,326 [Mariana Van Zeller] And he has a plan to bring awareness 616 00:38:48,326 --> 00:38:51,663 and justice to victims of sextortion. 617 00:38:52,747 --> 00:38:54,874 [Brandon Guffey] I lost the battle for Gavin, but if I can 618 00:38:54,874 --> 00:38:57,961 save these other teens, then that's what's most important. 619 00:38:57,961 --> 00:38:59,128 [House Speaker] No questions. 620 00:38:59,128 --> 00:39:00,463 Mr. Guffey is next to speak on a bill. 621 00:39:00,463 --> 00:39:02,048 Mr. Guffey is recognized. 622 00:39:09,055 --> 00:39:11,599 [chatter] 623 00:39:11,599 --> 00:39:12,976 [Representative] I'd like to request a debate. 624 00:39:12,976 --> 00:39:14,269 [Brandon Guffey] Will I be able to speak on it? 625 00:39:14,269 --> 00:39:15,603 -Yeah. Yeah. -Okay. 626 00:39:15,603 --> 00:39:17,480 I just wanna make sure. Thank you. 627 00:39:18,481 --> 00:39:20,275 [Mariana Van Zeller] When you talk to people, do they even 628 00:39:20,275 --> 00:39:22,026 know what sextortion is? 629 00:39:22,026 --> 00:39:23,736 [Brandon Guffey] It's still not out there enough. 630 00:39:23,736 --> 00:39:26,698 And it doesn't really make the news, and no one's truly 631 00:39:26,698 --> 00:39:28,741 explaining how dangerous it is. 632 00:39:28,741 --> 00:39:30,743 And as a parent, you hear something like that and you 633 00:39:30,743 --> 00:39:33,246 think that, "Well, that won't happen to me. 634 00:39:33,246 --> 00:39:35,790 You know, my kid's smarter than that." 635 00:39:35,790 --> 00:39:38,543 But, yeah, I still get messages every single day 636 00:39:38,543 --> 00:39:41,004 from somebody that's being extorted asking for advice. 637 00:39:41,004 --> 00:39:42,088 [Mariana Van Zeller] Every single day? 638 00:39:42,088 --> 00:39:43,631 [Brandon Guffey] Every single day. 639 00:39:43,631 --> 00:39:45,550 [Mariana Van Zeller] In response to his son's death, 640 00:39:45,550 --> 00:39:49,345 Representative Brandon Guffey is now trying to put the dangers 641 00:39:49,345 --> 00:39:52,640 of sextortion on the agenda with a bill proposal that 642 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:55,768 would increase the maximum sentence for a perpetrator 643 00:39:55,768 --> 00:39:59,230 in South Carolina to 20 years. 644 00:39:59,230 --> 00:40:00,982 [Representative] Whenever you're ready though. 645 00:40:00,982 --> 00:40:04,402 [Mariana Van Zeller] He named it Gavin's Law, after his son. 646 00:40:04,402 --> 00:40:06,154 [Brandon Guffey] The primary purpose of this is to raise 647 00:40:06,154 --> 00:40:09,282 awareness, because most of the perpetrators are not coming 648 00:40:09,282 --> 00:40:10,742 out of the state of South Carolina. 649 00:40:10,742 --> 00:40:11,743 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. 650 00:40:12,285 --> 00:40:13,745 [Brandon Guffey] So it's really to open up the conversation 651 00:40:13,745 --> 00:40:16,873 with parents and teens alike and bring that awareness 652 00:40:16,873 --> 00:40:19,250 for them to have that hard conversation. 653 00:40:19,959 --> 00:40:21,628 [Mariana Van Zeller] Even though the bill is limited to 654 00:40:21,628 --> 00:40:25,340 South Carolina, Representative Guffey hopes it will inspire a 655 00:40:25,340 --> 00:40:28,009 wave of similar bills across the country, 656 00:40:28,009 --> 00:40:30,553 eventually making it federal law. 657 00:40:30,553 --> 00:40:32,388 [Boy] I have one on my backpack. 658 00:40:32,388 --> 00:40:35,016 [Brandon Guffey] But we're gonna put it on your shirt. 659 00:40:35,016 --> 00:40:37,435 [Mariana Van Zeller] It's the day his bill is up for a vote 660 00:40:37,435 --> 00:40:40,355 and his family joins him on the floor of the state house. 661 00:40:40,355 --> 00:40:41,230 [House Speaker] No questions. 662 00:40:41,522 --> 00:40:42,815 Mr. Guffey is next to speak on a bill. 663 00:40:42,815 --> 00:40:44,359 Mr. Guffey is recognized. 664 00:40:44,359 --> 00:40:47,403 [Brandon Guffey] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 665 00:40:48,446 --> 00:40:51,574 I haven't even said a word and I'm tearing up. 666 00:40:52,408 --> 00:40:55,578 Most of my fellow House Members are aware of the 667 00:40:55,578 --> 00:40:58,289 importance of this bill to me. 668 00:40:59,207 --> 00:41:01,584 Nine months ago tomorrow, 669 00:41:01,584 --> 00:41:05,046 I lost my 17-year-old son to suicide. 670 00:41:06,923 --> 00:41:10,176 And it was due to extorting. 671 00:41:11,094 --> 00:41:13,846 This is not just a problem in South Carolina. 672 00:41:13,846 --> 00:41:16,015 This is not just a problem in the United States. 673 00:41:16,015 --> 00:41:18,434 This is a problem globally. 674 00:41:18,434 --> 00:41:21,104 Our laws do not move fast enough to keep up, 675 00:41:21,104 --> 00:41:24,774 to punish those that are responsible. 676 00:41:33,950 --> 00:41:39,288 I would like to read the names of the kids that just since my 677 00:41:39,288 --> 00:41:42,750 son have taken their lives as well, because we're not 678 00:41:42,750 --> 00:41:45,628 getting the message out enough. 679 00:41:45,628 --> 00:41:49,549 You've got Carter Bremseth, forever 16, from Minnesota. 680 00:41:50,591 --> 00:41:54,387 You've got Brayden Markus, forever 15, from Ohio. 681 00:41:55,263 --> 00:41:59,976 Waylon Scheffer, from Montana, forever 16. 682 00:42:00,768 --> 00:42:05,022 James Woods, forever 17, in Ohio. 683 00:42:05,690 --> 00:42:07,525 And Walker Montgomery, 684 00:42:07,525 --> 00:42:10,486 forever 16, out of Starkville, Mississippi. 685 00:42:10,486 --> 00:42:14,490 And Landen Edward-Todd Weigelt, from Wisconsin, 686 00:42:14,490 --> 00:42:16,576 forever 17. 687 00:42:16,576 --> 00:42:21,289 And my son, Gavin Timothy Guffey, who's forever 17. 688 00:42:21,539 --> 00:42:24,042 So, I urge you guys to pass it and I thank you for all of 689 00:42:24,042 --> 00:42:26,377 your support. 690 00:42:26,919 --> 00:42:32,508 [applause] 691 00:42:36,846 --> 00:42:39,724 [House Speaker] By a vote of 113-0 692 00:42:39,724 --> 00:42:42,727 House Bill 3583 has been approved. 693 00:42:42,727 --> 00:42:46,022 Congratulations, Mr. Guffey. 694 00:42:46,022 --> 00:42:48,066 [applause] 695 00:42:48,066 --> 00:42:50,485 [Mariana Van Zeller] Gavin's Law was passed unanimously and 696 00:42:50,485 --> 00:42:53,613 signed into law in August of 2023. 697 00:42:55,531 --> 00:42:56,115 [Brandon Guffey] Yeah. I'm proud of it. 698 00:42:57,867 --> 00:42:59,952 [Mariana Van Zeller] A small but important step in the 699 00:42:59,952 --> 00:43:03,080 fight against this predatory new crime. 700 00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:04,916 [Brandon Guffey] Thank you. 701 00:43:06,084 --> 00:43:09,170 [Mariana Van Zeller] But we still have a long way to go. 702 00:43:09,462 --> 00:43:12,173 I've see the roots of this black market. 703 00:43:12,173 --> 00:43:14,467 I know how it flourishes in the dark legacies of 704 00:43:14,467 --> 00:43:17,470 sex tourism and discrimination. 705 00:43:17,762 --> 00:43:20,848 Crime bosses see a workforce in the impoverished and 706 00:43:20,848 --> 00:43:25,812 marginalized, a revenue stream in the desperation of youth. 707 00:43:27,063 --> 00:43:28,773 There are no easy answers. 708 00:43:28,773 --> 00:43:30,358 No quick fixes. 709 00:43:30,358 --> 00:43:34,320 But if my experience as a journalist and a mother has 710 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:38,116 taught me anything, it's that our best defense is awareness 711 00:43:38,116 --> 00:43:41,077 and communication. 712 00:43:41,077 --> 00:43:44,455 [Cindy] My life has been devastated losing my son. 713 00:43:44,455 --> 00:43:46,415 I miss him so much. 714 00:43:46,415 --> 00:43:48,543 But maybe Jake's story can make them realize. 715 00:43:48,543 --> 00:43:50,169 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. 716 00:43:50,169 --> 00:43:52,755 [Cindy] It's, it's just a picture. 717 00:43:52,755 --> 00:43:54,132 Talk to your kids. 718 00:43:54,382 --> 00:43:57,552 There are so many people that have been affected from this. 719 00:44:02,849 --> 00:44:04,475 Captioned by Cotter Media Group.