A 17-year-old from Co Tyrone took his own life on Friday after being scammed by a fake Facebook account. According to Mr Stephen Magennis, headteacher of St Joseph's Primary School, Galbally, pupil Ronan Hughes was "scammed" by an international organisation of fake Facebook accounts.
In a letter to students, Magennis said that "a fake Facebook account operated from a foreign country deceived Ronan into thinking he was interacting with people from here."
The teenager used to spend his free time at St Joseph's Grammar school, where he helped three students in a "reading support program."
Writing to his parents, Mr Magennis said: “Ronan was the victim of ruthless, faceless people who intended to first extract personal information from him and then blackmail him into publishing his private images, exposing him irreparably, in order to threaten him in an attempt to extort money from him.”
Mr Magennis said Ronan's tragic death is a reminder and a warning to all parents that our children need to be vigilant, and very careful when using the internet. Parents need to be very protective and ready to take even drastic measures should the need arise.
Mr Magennis added: "We should not be complacent or naive as parents. We need to advise our children to stay safe online and the most important tool to monitor is what they do, say, write and share online."
Inspector Baird said: "If anyone has experienced a situation of a similar nature, or has received any inappropriate images or links, it is important that they contact the police or a trusted adult immediately. By taking this simple action you are helping to prevent further incidents like this. Do not try to resolve the problem yourself."
