Today I want to talk about a cyber crime called sextortion. So that means we will be talking about what to do if someone is blackmailing you with photos or videos. Most people reading this article may have been affected by this crime in one way or another, whether it’s someone you know or yourself being blackmailed.
What is Sextortion?
Sextortion has taken the U.S. and other countries by storm in recent years. It’s a crime where the victim gets lured into releasing their private pictures and videos to someone they believe to be in a romantic relationship. At some point during the communication with the perpetrator, the victim gets a blackmail message saying that if they don’t pay up, the pictures and videos will be released to their friends and family or shared all over the internet.
Common Questions
- Should I pay the perpetrator?
- If I do pay them, how can I be sure that my private videos and pictures won’t be released?
- If I don’t pay them, will they release all of my private pictures and videos and embarrass me in front of my friends, my family, and my colleagues?
- Should I trust the perpetrators when they tell me that once I pay them, they’ll leave me alone?
- If I ignore the blackmailers, will they simply go away?
- Are there companies out there that can actually help me put a stop to this?
These and many other questions are on the minds of every person who’s fallen victim to this new wave of cyber crime. In this guide, I will put to rest some myths and explain some hard-to-swallow facts about the situations that victims may find themselves in.
These People are Criminals
First things first, let’s understand that the individuals you’re dealing with are criminals, and by nature, they are not to be trusted. Consider this: anything you send them can and will be used against you in the worst possible way to extract the maximum amount of money from you or to cause the maximum amount of damage.
Should You Pay Them?
Now, let’s start with a simple question: should I pay them? Absolutely not. Doing so will condition the perpetrators to look at you as a sort of cash cow. Showing them that you’re scared enough to pay them will only make the attacks more vicious and painful until you pay again and again and again. Ultimately, they’ll extract the maximum amount of money from you and then release the private pictures and videos anyway.
You Are Not Alone
More than 300,000 Americans fall victim to this crime on an annual basis, and I want you to know that if you’ve fallen victim to this horrendous type of blackmail, you’re not alone. This is a simple case of being misled and trusting the wrong person. At one time or another, something like this has happened to us all, so don’t worry. Take comfort in knowing that there is hope.
Should You Ignore the Perpetrators?
Unfortunately, ignoring this perpetrator won’t do much in the way of getting you out of this mess. Ignoring them will simply upset them and prompt them to release your private information onto the public domain.
Swift Action is Required
Taking swift action is what’s required. The first step is confirming that they actually have what they claim to have. Ask for screenshots, ask for proof of the video, ask for pictures, and confirm that your face is visible in those pictures and videos. Receiving such proof will confirm how real the threat is. Delay the payment process as long as you can. You have to get a game plan. Let the perpetrators know that you’re gathering funds and that they should wait. Let them know that if they don’t want to give you time, then they’re probably not going to get paid. But keep in mind that this is only a trick to buy you a little bit of time.
At this point, the victim should make a decision whether they want to attack this problem by themselves or hire professionals. This is a pivoting point in this entire ordeal. It’s important to understand that while hiring a professional is the best possible way of dealing with this type of situation, it can be handled without a professional. Helping us weigh out the pros and cons of hiring a professional versus dealing with this matter by yourself is one of the client relations specialist’s biggest responsibilities.
Understand the Risks
I’d like to help our readers make a decision on which route to take when dealing with this very serious and very unfortunate situation. It is important to understand the proper risk analysis of the case you are dealing with. Having a proper grasp on the type of risk is one of the most important things when considering whether to engage a professional or to try and tackle the issue yourself. So now I want to talk about the key points to consider while calculating risk.
The cost of hiring a professional to handle the crisis can start from about four hundred dollars for a basic service and may go up from there depending on the type of dedication and service level required by a person who is victim.
Do You Need a Professional?
Some of the most important key elements to focus on when considering getting a pro involved is they will dramatically increase your 90% success rate in keeping your files from being shared on the internet, such as on social media platforms like Facebook.
They also focus on preventing one-page websites from being posted by the perpetrators. Perpetrators use a simple website that releases all of the information they have stolen from the victim, including name, private pictures, videos, emails, phone numbers, addresses, etc. The site then becomes visible on search engines like Google or Yahoo.
Another important point to consider is that when you’re hiring a company like a digital forensics company to deal with a blackmailer, they have unimaginable resources that they gained access to throughout the years. This includes their access to Interpol contacts as well as hundreds of police precincts in the states and overseas that are able to act on the information provided by such companies. They also possess a group of analysts who will keep all your files safe by keeping an eye on the newly posted photos and videos on the web. These people have an unprecedented catch rate. These criminals also get frequently dealt with by such powerful forensic companies who help those who are being blackmailed with their private photos and videos. Once the blackmailer learns that you are getting support from a group of tough forensic professionals, they will never make the mistake of blackmailing another unsuspecting victim.
What to Do When Someone Blackmails You With Photos or Videos of Yours: 4 Pro Techniques
Dealing with the situation yourself is possible; however, I should warn you, it may be dangerous. For individuals who have little to lose, it may be a good solution. Individuals who don’t risk a great deal of damage to their reputation by having the private videos released on social media may opt for this scenario. If you choose to deal with the situation by yourself, here’s a few pointers:
1. Never pay the perpetrators
Doing so will put a target on your back for additional payments and additional extortion.
2. Always try to stall for more time
From our experience, this tactic has a possibility of working. Stalling for more time or telling the perpetrators that you don’t have the money and you’re trying to gather funds to pay them. Be careful though, as sometimes this tactic backfires and your private information will be released because the perpetrators become upset with the excuses.
3. Create an elaborate story
If you are using a stalling tactic, create an elaborate story as to why you need more time, such as allowing funds to run between accounts, waiting for payment from other individuals, etc.
4. The “I don’t care” tactic
This is when the victim simply tells the perpetrators they don’t care if they release any information about them. Please be mindful that there have been instances when this backfired and information was released. If this tactic is successful, the perpetrator may move on to other victims.
Ignoring the perpetrators is never a good idea. That seems to always lead to information being released. You also can’t block them or delete your social media accounts because that will simply make them aware that you’re not going to pay them.
Advantages of Professional Forensic and Blackmail Services
If you are opting in for a pro service, they have a totally different success rate as well as process. One such company might take a very professional approach and start tracking the criminals from the very beginning, including capturing all of their IP addresses and locations. Communication is taken out of the hands of our client and into the hands of professional analysts who have years of experience dealing with extortion and blackmail. Such supportive organizations have a 90% success rate and many provide guaranteed success rate, meaning there is a much greater chance of keeping your data safe and secure if you are opting in for such professional blackmail services.
With years of experience, they have built a huge database of municipalities and police stations abroad as well as here in the United States. A lot of their contacts are in hotbeds of where these cyber crimes originate, such as Ghana, Africa, the Ivory Coast, the Philippines, and Russia. So if someone is blackmailing you with photos or videos, your best way of handling such crime is by taking help from a trusted online anti blackmail service.
