HARTFORD — The Washington County Anti-Trafficking Advocates (WCATA) recently announced that it will be hosting another community seminar at 6:30 p.m. at the Schauer Arts Center, 147 N. Rural St., on Sept. 10 about "sextortion" and the dangers it poses to youth.
According to the event information from the WCATA, the event will focus on the story of Jordan DeMay, a young man who took his own life after falling victim to a sextortion scam. His father, John DeMay, will be the keynote speaker at this event. John DeMay is a former law enforcement officer, husband and community member, and will speak on how his son spent the last few hours of his life afraid, lost in his own thoughts and regret, feeling humiliated and alone and too afraid to ask for help.
According to the official announcement, the primary target demographic for sextortion plots are athletic teenage boys. DeMay can attest to this, and has said that "those are the kids who are the most likely to be targeted and the most likely to bite on the scam." The announcement also noted that many adults do not fully understand the dangers their kids are facing online by those who are looking to exploit them financially or sexually.
With this information in mind, this event is geared toward teens, parents, law enforcement officers, first responders and all other community members that would like to learn more about sextortion. Along with DeMay, the event will feature a panel discussion that will include Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) specialists from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and more.
This event will be free to attend. The WCATA added that it is so confident that this event could save a life that it will pay people to attend. All attendees will receive a $10 bill and an opportunity to win $500 cash. At the end of the evening, a winning serial number from one of the $10 bills will be revealed, and the winner will receive $500 cash.
Reservations are not required, as it will be first-come-first-serve seating. However, groups of eight or more may reserve seating together by notifying the WCATA by Sept. 8 by calling/texting 262-224-0528 or sending an email to wcatadvocates@gmail.com.
