Turning Tragedy into Action: Gavin’s Law and the Fight Against Teen Extortion
- Dexit Chixs
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Turning Tragedy into Action: Gavin’s Law and the Fight Against Teen Extortion
In the wake of unimaginable tragedy, Representative Brandon Guffey of Rock Hill, South Carolina ( Dist 48) has found purpose in a mission that no parent should ever have to take on. After losing his teenage son Gavin to suicide caused by an online extortion scheme, Rep. Guffey has become a powerful advocate for mental health awareness and online safety—especially for young boys who are increasingly being targeted in these schemes.
Rep. Guffey's story is one for a movie script, enduring the hauntings of threats to not just his son, but other family members even after his son's death. Not even two weeks after his burial, Rep. Guffey got a laughing emoji Instagram message, followed by despicable threats to him and other family members requesting money at the fate of his son's nude photos being exposed. It is then where law enforcement was able to identify the source of these messages and eventually the identity of the extortionist.
This was all happening at a time where Brandon Guffey was running for election and won. With this new role he was immediately able to tackle three incredible feats. Firstly, getting the extortionist from Nigeria to extradite him and try him locally here in South Carolina. This aid was a combination that ranged from the York County Sheriff’s Department, South Carolina law enforcement division, FBI and Homeland Security. With huge efforts and success at this operation, Guffey says the hardest part of this was not being able to use the full extent of US law as he was a Nigerian Citizen. Still, found guilty he is spending his time behind bars on US soil.
Second, in 2023 South Carolina passed “Gavin’s Law,” which is named after his son and makes sextortion of minors and vulnerable people an aggravated felony. It also requires schools in the state to teach students about the dangers of sextortion and how to identify potential scammers. If you’re a parent, caregiver, or educator, now is the time to have conversations with your children about the risks they face online—not to instill fear, but to offer support and knowledge.
Thirdly, determined to protect other families, Guffey founded the nonprofit LESS THAN 3 (a symbol for a heart, <3) to raise awareness, provide resources, and support those affected by digital abuse and mental health struggles. This heart shaped text emoji was the last text message his son had sent that day. He says not a day goes by without hearing from another family silently facing the same nightmare. This problem is a growing nightmare for families all across the US and with the rise of AI, the believability of these images now is paired with video recordings using real voices make it all the more difficult.
If you’d like to support Rep. Guffey’s mission or learn more about LESS THAN 3, please visit less-than-3.org.
Together, we can turn pain into purpose and help protect our future generations from this digital epidemic and support Guffey whose mission in life is to protect kids and families from becoming victims of cybercrimes.
Comments