Meta hands over Instagram data to Police Scotland in 'sextortion' case of 16-year-old Murray Dowey

Meta, owners of Facebook and Instagram, said it has “fully cooperated” with police following the death of a 16-year-old boy.

Murray Dowey, from Dunblane, was 16 when he took his own life on December 30, 2023 after becoming victim to sextortion scams on the social media platform Instagram.

The teenager was contacted on social media by someone claiming to be a young girl but was actually a scammer, who tricked him into sending an intimate image and then blackmailed him with it.

Police Scotland confirmed on Thursday that data requested from Meta has now been received.

A Meta spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with the Dowey family during this difficult time.

“We’ve fully cooperated with law enforcement in this investigation, including responding to any data requests.”

Glasgow & West

‘They killed our son’: The devastating impact of sextortion scams as cases soar

Murray Dowey, a 16-year-old from Dunblane, took his own life after he was ‘sextorted’ by a scammer.

Sextortion scams can be perpetrated by individuals but the majority are committed by organised crime groups operating overseas, who often target young men with fake images, before blackmailing them for money.

Reports to The Revenge Porn Helpline doubled in 2023 reaching nearly 19,000, with sextortion making up over a third of those reports.

Ros Dowey, Murray’s mother, told ITV News in April: “That evening we were just chatting and watching rubbish on telly…We were just a normal family of five.

“To the next morning, we’re down to four people with a huge Murray-shaped gap that’s never going to go away.

“He’s my little boy. To think of my little boy in such distress and not to reach out for help, it’s awful.”

Mark Dowey, Murray’s father, said he was “sitting watching the football, next thing I heard was Ros screaming, screams like I’ve never heard in my life before… it was horrendous.”

Murray was a season ticket holder at his local club Stirling Albion Family handout

He added: “He was a very normal, easy-going, helpful boy, had a great sense of humour…I can’t believe he’s gone.

“One of the reasons it is so devastating as it comes into your house, exactly where Murray should have been safest in his room, asleep.

“So there’s very little you can do to protect them.”

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