In my role as a crime reduction officer for the north-east division, I continue to receive reports of sextortion, commonly referred to as webcam blackmail.
It can result in financial loss and cause mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and in extreme cases, has resulted in self-harm.
What is Sextortion?
Sextortion refers to a specific type of cyber-enabled crime in which victims are lured into performing sexual acts in front of their webcam.
These actions are recorded by criminals, without the knowledge of the victim.
The criminals then use these images and videos to blackmail their victims.
Generally, they demand money (in some instances Bitcoin) and if it’s not forthcoming, they threaten to upload the recordings to the internet and send them to a victim’s friends and family.
How does it work?
Blackmailers usually befriend their victims on social media platforms, such as Instagram, on which conversations begin.
This leads into private chats between the victims and the perpetrators, when both will then exchange intimate videos or images.
The victims firmly believe that the people they see in these images and videos are the person they’re engaging in conversation.
Next, the victims are sent recordings of themselves carrying out sexual acts, along with threats to send the videos to friends and family via social media.
They’re told that they can prevent distribution to people they know but only if a payment is made, or in some cases, gift cards.
‘Playing on people’s emotions’
The blackmail attempts are designed to play on people’s emotions, so that they will behave in a way which is out of character for them.
During lockdown, cases of sextortion continued to increase and we now see examples of it almost on a daily basis.
We believe that the number of victims is significantly higher, since most cases go unreported to the police.
This may be down to potentially embarrassing consequences for the victim.
What can you do to reduce the likelihood of it happening?
Be sensible when using the internet. Only activate your camera when you want to and make sure it’s off at all times when not required.
Never allow yourself to be duped into activity that you will later regret.
When using video chat apps, be alert to the fact that contacts are not always who they say they are.
If you allow a relationship to develop, be guarded if unusual requests are made of you.
Be careful if you use online chat rooms to look for a person to chat with.
And be careful about getting into any relationship if you are asked to move to a different chat platform.
‘End anything you are not comfortable with’
Some online chat rooms have a visual contact facility. If you’re looking for a person to chat with and get into a relationship, be guarded about what you say and do.
Relationships are quick to develop. End any that you are not comfortable with. Stay in control of what you do.
You may make mistakes, have doubts or need support or advice. If so, contact the police or a support agency immediately.
Remember, what goes on the internet stays on the internet, forever.
What to do if you’re a victim of sextortion
Do not panic. The police will take your case seriously. They will deal with it confidentially and you will not be judged.
Do not make payments. Some victims who have paid hear no more about it, others pay and are asked for more money.
In some cases, even when money is paid, the offenders post the videos or images anyway.
Don’t continue to communicate with the offenders any further. Take screen shots of any and all messages and keep them as evidence.
Make a note of all details provided by the offenders. For example, their Skype name (particularly the Skype ID), the Facebook URL, the Western Union or MoneyGram Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) and any photos/videos that you were sent.
Be aware that the scammer’s Skype name is different to their Skype ID. It’s the ID details that police will need. To get that, right click on their profile and select ‘View Profile’.
Then look for the name shown in blue, rather than the one above it in black. It’ll be next to the word ‘Skype’ and will have no spaces in it.
Deactivate social media accounts, don’t delete them
Deactivate your social media account rather than shutting it down, so all data is kept instead of being lost forever.
This helps the police to gather evidence and means you can recover your online memories as soon as you reactivate your account, at any time in the future.
Report your situation to the social media platform to have it block any video and set up an alert in case it later resurfaces.
Make a complaint to the police and your online service provider.
And remember that you’re the victim of organised criminals. You’re not alone and confidential support is available. You can get through this.
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