A South Carolina man has been hit with federal charges for a sinister "sextortion" scheme that prosecutors say drove a Michigan man to take his own life. Glenn Daeward Boyd, 35, of Kershaw, is facing a seven-count indictment slapped by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten, as detailed in a Detroit News report and a Justice Department press release.

Boyd is accused of posing as an 18-year-old woman on a dating site, where he sent a nude image to the unsuspecting Michigan resident. After baiting the individual with a fake persona, Boyd then flipped the script, claiming he was actually 15 and began terrorizing the victim by masquerading as the youth's grandparents. The online predator threatened to tag the victim a pedophile unless hush money was paid, according to authorities.

The unsettling turn of events culminated in Boyd plastering the pedophile accusation alongside the victim’s Facebook profile, officials say. In an indictment, bolstered by tragic clarity, the Michigan man, entangled in Boyd's web of deceit, ended his life on August 4. "He is a pedophile I have all the evidence if anyone wants to see it," so went Boyd's Facebook claim.

During a period marked by a distressing uptick in sextortion-related deaths, "Nationally and here in Michigan we have seen a startling increase in the number of sextortion crimes – like we have alleged here – that result in the victim’s death," U.S. Attorney Totten revealed in a statement obtained by the Detroit News. His office’s commitment to prosecuting these crimes was underscored, alongside a strong advice for online vigilance.

The charges against Boyd emerge in the wake of two Nigerian men admitting guilt in a similar racket that targeted teens in Michigan and beyond. Adding to the narrative of caution, the FBI has distributed six tips to help netizens shield themselves from sextortion setups, as stated by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson in the press release. While the binary world teems with unseen predators, the advice remains clear: be selective, be wary, be suspicious, and be ready to seek help whenever the digital waves seem perilous.

It bears repeating that the charges lodged are mere accusations, and Boyd retains the presumption of innocence until possibly proven guilty in the courts. For those who’ve skirted the edges of online victimization or are in the thick of it, resources and lifelines await; the FBI implores reaching out via 1-800-CALL-FBI or the online tip platform at tips.fbi.gov.