After son's suicide, heartbroken dad warns parents of social media sextortion trend ensnaring teen boys

A Mississippi father is warning parents of a growing social media-based sextortion trend that led his 16-year-old son to commit suicide.

"I want people to understand the evil that is out there in the world that is after our kids," Brian Montgomery told Fox News' Dana Perino in an interview Monday.

"Don't allow your children by themselves in a bedroom, in a bathroom, anywhere with these phones without supervision, because they're not capable of understanding the dangers that are on the other side of it," the grieving father cautioned.

"I want other parents to heed that warning, because it's something you can do today to guard yourself against this," Montgomery also said.

Montgomery's 16-year-old son, Walker, took his own life after falling victim to a sextortion crime last December.

Nigeria-based criminals posing as an attractive young girl convinced Walker to send explicit videos of himself, the father explained. After the perpetrators secured the video, they pressed the tenth-grader to give them $1,000.

When Walker, under unbearable pressure, told the criminals he was going to commit suicide, the perpetrators responded by encouraging him to follow through, "because you're already dead," Montgomery explained, describing the scenario as "evil" and "heartbreaking."

Montgomery said he believes tech companies could employ technologies that could help protect minors from crimes like these, but have not invested aggressively enough in developing them.

"We're Christians. We have no questions where Walker is at. Walker is in heaven with Christ waiting on us," Montgomery said in the interview.

"Walker was special. ... Walker's walking down the sideline with Jesus right now. ... I want you to know [Walker's death] is not of God. It is sin. ... Satan attacks those families that can make a difference for Him," Montgomery said during Walker's funeral services.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines sextortion as "a crime that happens online when an adult convinces a person who is younger than 18 to share sexual pictures or perform sexual acts on a webcam."

The FBI says agents have seen a huge increase in the number of cases involving children and teens. Further, the bureau warns specifically of financial sextortion, which involves threatening to "release the compromising material unless the victim sends money and/or gift cards."

Watch Brian Montgomery's moving tribute to Walker during his son's memorial service.

Watch the entire interview on Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom" below.

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