A grieving family is warning of the hidden dangers of online gaming after their 15-year-old son took his own life following weeks of blackmail and psychological torment by an anonymous predator on a dark web forum.
Christoforos Nicolaou, 15, died just 50 days after he began receiving disturbing messages after clicking a pop-up link that appeared while he was playing video games.
After being lured in with the promise of free in-game credits, the teenager was tricked into entering personal details such as his name, address, phone number, and passport details in January 2022. Moments later, he received a message threatening to kill his family if he did not complete a series of “challenges” set by an anonymous stranger online.
This blackmail continued and progressively worsened for 50 days until he took his own life at the beginning of March 2022.
His father, George Nicolaou, 54, from Waltham Cross, only discovered what had happened when he looked at his son’s laptop and phone after his death and read through the online chat.
He and Christoforos’s mother, Areti, 51, launched the Christoforos Charity Foundation (CCF) in their son’s memory to raise awareness about the dangers of the internet and cyberbullying.
“Children can stumble into these online dangers unknowingly, not recognising them as harmful, but then get drawn deeper into these dark and dangerous dimensions of the web,” George told The Independent.
He added: “Children are very vulnerable, they believe anything and soak up things like sponges. Once these people had his personal details they said, ‘Right, you belong to us and you will do what we say or we’ll kill your family,’ and he believed this.”
The ‘challenges’ began with small tasks, such as eating a bowl of cereal within a certain timeframe or running backwards up the stairs. But they soon grew more sinister and degrading, with Christoforos being prohibited from sleeping and being forced to watch gruesome horror films all night.
George also found pictures of knives sent to his son on the forum.
He said: “He felt like he was being watched all the time so he couldn’t trick them or tell us what was happening. We didn’t know what was going on but we saw a change in his character, but he couldn’t tell us what was happening.
“It was very hard for us to comprehend what was going on.”
They have never been able to trace the perpetrator who threatened their son, but they now work to educate others about online dangers for children through their charity, CCF.
He said: “It was an innocent mistake that spiralled into a nightmare. Christoforos lit up every room he entered and was the heartbeat of our family. He was a very clever kid with a bright future and had dreams of being an architect.
“That was taken from him. But now we do what we can to raise awareness and help other families who are possibly in the same scenario.”
The charity seeks to keep children safe from online predators by spreading awareness through presentations and activity days away from social media for children.
They recommend that parents are always aware of who their children are speaking to or playing games with online and ensuring they are “tangible people” their children know personally.
They also urge parents and children to avoid clicking on anything unfamiliar and to restrict social media use to encourage real-life connections.
You can find out more about CCF here and donate to the charity here.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
