Hi Reddit, I’m USA TODAY’s Youth Mental Health Reporting Fellow, Rachel Hale (u/rachelhalereporting). [PROOF]

I’m reporting an ongoing series investigating a surge in financial sextortion and its mental health impact on teenage boys, which was connected to suicide in extreme cases.

Financial sextortion is a form of blackmail where bad actors convince people to send explicit images or videos, then threaten to release the content unless the person sends a sum of money. The crime primarily targets young males, most often aged 13 to 17, and can lead to mental health problems and in extreme cases death. Sextortion has been connected to at least 30 deaths of teenage boys by suicide since 2021, according to a tally of private cases and the latest FBI numbers from cybersecurity experts.

In more than half a dozen interviews with USA TODAY, young male victims recounted the shame, embarrassment and fear that kept them from telling someone they were being blackmailed.

In the series’ first piece, I explored the rise in financial sextortion since the pandemic and discussed terminology that should raise red flags to teens and parents. You can read the first article in our series here and find more of my work here.

Have questions about my reporting and financial sextortion? Drop them here and I’ll start answering Tuesday, Feb. 18 at noon ET. AMA!