The death of a 15-year-old boy in West Virginia has sparked an investigation into an alleged sextortion scheme. 

In a news release on Friday, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office said the FBI field office in Pittsburgh is taking over the investigation into the death of Bryce Tate, a student at Nitro High School who died from a self-inflicted gunshot on Nov. 6.

Since his death, investigators said the boy may have been targeted in an online sextortion scheme. Evidence from the boy's cell phone, according to the sheriff's office, shows that an unknown person contacted the 15-year-old about three hours before his death, and the conversation continued until "just minutes" before he died.

"Due to the interstate and digital nature of this case, the investigation has been adopted by the FBI Pittsburgh, where it remains active," the news release said. 

What is sextortion? 

Authorities say sextortion is a form of online exploitation where victims are pressured or manipulated into sending sensitive images to someone. That person, oftentimes, is utilizing a fake social media account and uses the photos to threaten the victim. 

"These schemes often move quickly and are designed to overwhelm and panic young victims," the sheriff's office said on Friday. 

CBS News reviewed FBI records, which found a spike in reports of sextortion since 2019 and a surge in cases targeting teen boys. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said it received more than 500,000 reports of sextortion scams targeting minors in the last year.