Blackmail via video chat

Sextortion is the cheating of an online flirt!

Users are flirted with in sex chats, persuaded to show themselves naked and then blackmailed with the intimate images.
Our cooperation partner Saferintern.at writes: It seems to start harmlessly: users are flirted with by attractive strangers on social networks such as Facebook or WhatsApp . After a short chat, you will soon be invited to switch
video chat such as Skype Once there, the mysterious person usually immediately begins to undress and pose lasciviously. The unsuspecting users are asked to also appear naked and/or perform sexual acts on themselves .
If they comply with the request, disillusionment soon follows: The chat partner makes contact again shortly after the chat and informs the victim that the delicate video was or screenshots were taken. Now the fraudsters are demanding money and threatening to publish the recordings . This scam is “sextortion ,” a combination of “sex” and “extortion . ”

Threat of publication

As a rule, the blackmailers threaten to publish the delicate videos or nude photos on social networks or send them directly to the friends of those affected. Recordings from the video chat are often uploaded to video platforms such as YouTube – initially as “private” videos. In the title and video description, the scammers include as much information about the victim as possible. If the private link is sent to the victim, this of course increases the pressure. The perpetrators do not stop at minors - those affected so far include adults as well as young people .

Fear and shame as a means of pressure

It is mainly men who are contacted by supposedly young ladies on social networks and persuaded to flirt in the chat. What many people don't think about in this situation: Even a supposedly private chat is not a protected space ! The perpetrators use the victims' fear and shame as leverage to enforce their demands for money . Sometimes the intimate video recordings are also used to defame and destroy those affected on the Internet ( cyber bullying ). On the Internet, fraudsters hide behind false identities and do not show themselves at any time during the video chat. The provocative images or videos usually come from other websites and are only played in the chat.

Stay safe on the Internet – Sextorsion

A video from the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office:

International scam

Sextortion is now also on a large scale by international fraud gangs . Recently there has been an increase in reports of such fraud cases to the police . The criminal investigation department warns against such attempted fraud and advises not to make any payments under any circumstances.

How do I recognize an attempted fraud?

In order to avoid falling into the role of victim in the first place, a healthy dose of mistrust is not wrong. Some circumstances that suggest a sextortion scam :

• The fraudsters usually pose as young, exceptionally attractive people . Apart from well-staged photos, there is hardly any personal information in the profile. The scammers are often members of many relevant groups dealing with the topics of flirting, dating, eroticism, finding a partner, etc.
• In general, be skeptical if complete strangers to you on Facebook or other social networks or start flirting with you .
• Particular caution is advised if your chat partner wants to switch to alternative channels, such as Skype or WhatsApp, .
• At the latest when the person you are talking to undresses in front of the webcam and/or asks you to perform sexual acts , the alarm bells should ring and the chat should be ended.

Fallen into the trap – what can I do?

• Keep calm! Stop all contact with the scammers immediately. Remove the contacts from your friends list and, if possible, block them on the social network. Report the blackmailers’ fake accounts to the site operators.
• Do not accept the demands and do not transfer any money! Paying does not protect against publication - the perpetrators often demand even more money after the first transfer.
• Save evidence! Secure relevant evidence that proves the fraud: screenshots of the fraudulent accounts, the chat log, email traffic.
• Get the police involved. File a report at the nearest police station. This is the only way to prosecute the blackmail gangs.
• Create a Google Alert . Google Alert for your name . This way you will be notified of new videos, photos or other content that has your name attached to it.
• If your photos and/or videos appear on the Internet: Contact the site operator - social networks such as Facebook usually delete sexual content very quickly. Internet Ombudsman also help you remove the content.
• Know your rights! No one is allowed to post unauthorized pictures and videos of others on the Internet that embarrass or disparage them. This violates the “right to one’s own image” . §207a StGB , pornographic recordings of people under 18 are considered child pornography - the production, possession and publication are therefore prohibited and punishable.
• Get help! For young people and their caregivers, 147 Rat auf Wire professional help and advice – around the clock, free of charge and anonymously.
• Prevention – pay attention to privacy. Choose privacy settings that are as secure as possible on social networks to protect your personal data. In this way, you offer potential fraudsters less attack surface. In particular, make sure that personal information, contact details, photos and especially your friends lists are not publicly visible. For detailed step-by-step instructions for select social networks, see our privacy guides .

Source: Saferinternet.at