In This Issue

This week, we’re doing something different.

Instead of jumping between the usual stories from the world of espionage, cybercrime, and digital mischief, I want to focus on just one: a single, devastating case of online sextortion that hits close to home—literally. As a parent of two teenagers and a tweenager, what I uncovered shook me. And I think every parent needs to understand the threat—not in theory, but in painful, personal detail.

We’ll return to our regular format next week. But this story deserves more space, more attention, and a louder warning siren.

Title Story

The Predator Next Door: How Online Games Became Hunting Grounds

The Game That Turned Into a Trap

Thirteen-year-old Maya sat cross-legged on her bedroom carpet in Galveston, Texas, her eyes bright as her avatar loaded into her favorite Roblox world—an amusement park roleplay game she’d discovered just last week. It was Friday night. Her homework was done, her parents were watching Netflix downstairs, and Maya was free to explore the colorful, creative universe where she could build rollercoasters, adopt virtual pets, and chat with her online friends.

But this time, someone new popped into her game.

His avatar looked like a friendly teenager—funny username, decked out in exclusive items Maya hadn’t seen before. He complimented her building skills and showed her a new world he had “coded himself.” Intrigued and flattered, Maya clicked the link he shared. What she didn’t know was that this move marked the beginning of a carefully scripted playbook used by sexual predators—one designed to isolate, manipulate, and exploit.

The man behind the avatar was not a teenager. He was nearly 30, and he wasn’t playing for fun. He was hunting.

The Digital Lure

The predator began by grooming Maya through kindness, curiosity, and camaraderie. He asked about her favorite games, offered Roblox gift cards, and played every day. Maya, a bright kid but somewhat shy in real life, found a thrilling connection in this new friend who always seemed interested in her thoughts and hobbies. He told her she was special, that she was mature for her age. He didn’t push for anything—not at first.

When they moved from Roblox to Discord—at his request, for “easier chat and cooler voice messages”—the grooming intensified. There were video calls. Maya’s face, once a private feature of family photos and school ID cards, was now on display for someone she thought she knew.

Soon came the request that changed everything: “Just one picture. I miss you when I’m offline.”

When she hesitated, he got moody. Then angry. And then he threatened. He had screen recordings, he said. He knew her real name, her school, her address. He sent her a screenshot of her house from Google Maps.

Maya was trapped.

Silver Spring’s Hidden Threat

This exact playbook allegedly played out over 100 times under the direction of Chase William Mulligan, a seemingly normal 28-year-old from Silver Spring, Maryland—soberingly close to where I live in Washington DC with my two teenagers and a tweenager. Mulligan didn’t lurk in the shadows of some faraway digital jungle. He was embedded in suburbia, walking past Little League games, grabbing coffee at the local Starbucks, and browsing bookstores you and I might frequent. He didn’t need to leave his house to destroy young lives. All he needed was a screen and access to the same games our kids love.

Using Roblox, Discord, Snapchat, and Instagram, Mulligan hunted for vulnerable children—sometimes as young as five—and deployed a precise psychological strategy to manipulate, threaten, and extort them. Once he obtained a single image or video, he used it to blackmail his victims into sending more. When they refused, he threatened to expose them, even threatening violence. In some cases, he did expose them—posting their images on publicly accessible servers and sending them to friends or family.

All told Mulligan pled guilty to coercing at least 108 girls to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. This continued from 2019 until he was caught in 2023, targeting children all over the United States and some internationally. According to court records, Mulligan coerced some of his victims—young children—into acts so extreme and degrading, they are difficult to describe in print (this is a family-friendly newsletter). His manipulation led to deeply disturbing and abusive behavior, documented through photos and videos, which he demanded as part of his escalating threats.

In Maryland, if convicted, Mulligan will see a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years behind bars and a max of 60 years. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. He deserves worse.

Gaming Platforms: A Hunting Ground for Predators

While Roblox and Discord position themselves as champions of safety and community, the truth is more complicated. Parents in Galveston Texas have brought a $1 billion lawsuit against Roblox and Discord, alleging that the companies failed to implement meaningful parental controls and knowingly allowed predators to stalk children on their platforms.

The Galveston case claims that platform moderation was either nonexistent or laughably inadequate. The predator who groomed the daughter in that case had prior accounts banned, but simply created new ones. Discord allowed him to communicate without any age verification or filtering. Roblox never flagged his behavior—despite spending hours every week communicating with minors, creating links to off-platform sites, and avoiding built-in moderation.

How can a 13-year-old be expected to navigate this minefield, especially when the adult on the other side is a master manipulator?

A Predator’s Psychology

Mulligan—or the predator in the Galveston case—are driven by something more than just greed. There’s a dark psychological element at play. For some, it’s about control. Others seek twisted gratification. But almost all display behaviors similar to advanced social engineers and seasoned cybercriminals: they blend into communities, adapt their language to match their targets, and manipulate emotional vulnerabilities to achieve their ends.

They behave like spies in enemy territory, embedded in plain sight, masking their intentions behind avatars, emojis, and a disarming digital smile.

And they’re everywhere.

These aren’t hackers in Russia. These are men (and occasionally women) who live in our neighborhoods, shop at our grocery stores, and attend our community events. They see our teens at the mall or skating rink and wonder: Can I find them online?

With just a photo and a quick reverse image search, they can.

The Real Cost

The damage from sextortion is emotional. Psychological. In extreme cases, it’s fatal.

Some children fall into deep depression, unable to see a way out. Others face relentless bullying when their images are shared. Families crumble under the weight of guilt, confusion, and helplessness. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has noted a disturbing rise in suicide attempts linked to sextortion cases. In 2023, the NCMEC's cyber tipline received more than 186,000 reports of 'online enticement.' In 2024, they received more than 546,000 reports by October.

And all of this can happen from a single moment of trust. A single click.

Cybersecurity Tip of the Week

Act Like a Spy Hunter: Outsmarting Sextortion Predators Before They Strike

1. Train Them to Spot the “Friendlies” That Aren’t

Predators don’t announce themselves. They compliment. They offer Robux. They know just how to make your kid feel cool, heard, or just a little grown up.

Teach your kids:

• Flattery isn’t friendship. If someone’s being a little too nice too soon, ask why.

• Secrets are red flags. If a “friend” says “don’t tell your parents”—you tell your parents.

• Online doesn’t mean anonymous. Anyone can pretend to be anything and they often do.

💡 Spy trick: If your kid wouldn’t walk up to a stranger at the park and give them their full name, school, and selfie—then they shouldn’t do it online either.

2. Investigate the Tech, Not Just the Talk

Predators rely on gaps—between devices, platforms, and parental awareness. Close them.

Parental Intel Tools:

• Enable parental controls on every device, especially game consoles and mobile apps. (Hint: Most are turned off by default.)

• Check for cross-platform messaging. Roblox might be harmless, but Discord? That’s often where the real danger starts.

• Review friend lists and chat logs. Especially if your kid seems withdrawn, anxious, or overly attached to a device.

💡 Spy trick: Ask to “co-play” a Roblox session or review their friend list together. Make it casual. Kids don’t mind oversight when it feels like teamwork.

3. Build a No-Judgment Debrief Culture

Your kid won’t tell you if they think they’re going to get punished. You must make home the safest place to confess a mistake.

Create the Safe Zone:

• Say: “If anything ever makes you uncomfortable online, I will never be mad at you for telling me. You are never in trouble for being honest.”

• Normalize awkward conversations. Talk about scams, and yes—sextortion—as part of regular tech check-ins.

• Practice responses. “If someone ever asks for a picture of you or says something creepy, here’s what we do…”

💡 Spy trick: Debriefs are standard after every mission. Your family should have one after digital interactions too. Keep it short, regular, and open.

4. Limit the Digital Battlefield

Fewer access points mean fewer threats.

Practical Defense Moves:

• Delay smartphones and social media. Just because other kids are using them doesn’t mean they’re safe.

• Use age-appropriate platforms. If the app isn’t designed for a 12-year-old, don’t let a 12-year-old use it.

• Shut it down at night. Devices sleep outside the bedroom. End of story.

💡 Spy trick: Every agent knows: you don’t sleep with an open channel. Neither should your kid.

5. Watch for Behavioral Clues That Something’s Wrong

Victims often show early warning signs, but we miss them while looking at the wrong things.

Red Flags to Catch Early:

• Sudden secrecy or anxiety about phones and devices.

• New accounts, fake names, or apps you didn’t approve.

• Withdrawal, depression, mood swings, or academic changes.

💡 Spy trick: Ask questions sideways: “What’s the weirdest message you’ve gotten online?” not “Has anyone creeped on you?”

6. Understand the Predator’s Playbook

This isn’t random. It’s strategic. Predators like Mulligan escalate slowly and methodically. First it’s praise, then it’s requests, then it’s threats. They:

• Use reverse image search to track your child from a single photo.

• Exploit gaps in parental monitoring between platforms.

• Create burner accounts that slip under moderation filters.

💡 Spy trick: Learn their tactics. Reverse-image search your own child’s profile pictures once a month using tools like TinEye or Google Lens. You’ll be shocked what comes up.

7. Report Like a Pro

If something happens—your kid is contacted, manipulated, or threatened—do not delete the messages. Screenshot and save everything.

Report Immediately To:

• The platform. (Roblox, Discord, etc.)

• The FBI’s IC3 website: www.ic3.gov

• NCMEC CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org

If your child is in immediate danger or explicit material has already been shared, call law enforcement immediately.

💡 Spy trick: Keep a printed list of these resources near your home computer or device charging station. In a crisis, you don’t want to search—you want to act.

Final Briefing: Stay Off Autopilot

Think like an intelligence officer. Train your children to become their own first line of defense while knowing you’re behind them with a backup surveillance van.

Predators adapt. So must we.

Act like a spy hunter. Observe, detect, counter, and act. Your kids may not know you’re running point behind the scenes—but one day, they’ll be grateful you did.

Call to Action

If this week’s story stirred something in you—good. That’s the point.

We cannot afford to treat sextortion like a fringe issue or someone else’s problem. It’s happening in our neighborhoods, on our kids’ devices, and in the apps we once thought were harmless. We must outsmart, outwatch, and outprotect these predators.

Here’s where you come in: I’m aiming to grow this newsletter by 200 subscribers in the next week. If Spies, Lies & Cybercrime has helped you stay sharper, smarter, and safer—help me keep it going. Invite just one friend to subscribe. Share it, repost it, forward it, text it. That one share could help another parent prevent a nightmare.

https://www.ericoneill.net/newsletter

Let’s protect our kids—and spread the word.

Eric

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Eric

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