This is not the first time that such fake profiles have spread on Facebook. However, scammers are hiding behind these profiles, which are female profiles with fake pictures.

They randomly write to male Facebook users and pretend to be new to Facebook - and looking for friends. They also search through the friend list of the respective contact so that in the end they become “mutual friends”. This is intended to increase credibility.

With a skillful conversation - you should never forget that such fraudsters are trained to implicate other people - they can gain the trust of the user. At the end, the user is offered the opportunity to get in touch via Messenger video chat.

The Facebook profile is just the decoy!

If you accept the tempting offer, you will find a very scantily clad lady who is, however, NOT identical to the Facebook profile that wrote to you! The Facebook profile only served as a decoy!

Once again, the lady engages the user in a conversation and makes the user an immoral offer. What the victim doesn't know at this moment: The fraudster is recording the entire video chat and is in possession of this video at the end!

Blackmail and threats

The user is then threatened with publishing and sharing the video, which is supposedly already in “private mode” on YouTube, if the user does not respond to various demands.

MIMIKAMA
Screenshot: Facebook Messenger

Sextortion

The phenomenon of such blackmail involving intimate recordings is called “sextortion” and is made up of the words “sex” and “extortion”. What starts as a harmless flirt ends with high demands for money.

Protect yourself by never sending intimate photos or videos of yourself to people you don't know well enough. Don't allow yourself to be persuaded to undress in front of the webcam during online chats. Perpetrators use these moments to make their own recordings and use them to blackmail their victims later. If you have fallen for such scammers: Do not transfer any money, but report to the police and file a criminal complaint! Warn others about this scam too.

Fell into the trap – what to do?

  • Stop contact with the anonymous person immediately and do not respond to messages.
  • Do not pay! Experience has shown that paying does not protect against publication. On the contrary, further demands followed and the blackmail never ends!
  • Report it to the police.
  • Contact the site operator and request that the images be deleted. Inappropriate content can be reported to the site operator using buttons specially set up for this purpose.
  • Save chat histories and messages using screenshots.
  • Don't let yourself be blackmailed into doing more sexual acts in front of the camera!
  • If you actually discover your video on a platform, contact the site operator immediately. Facebook in particular, for example, quickly deletes videos with sexual content.
  • Never accept friend requests from strangers.
  • Check your account and privacy settings regularly.
  • Be cautious about publishing personal information such as address, date of birth or employer.
  • Don't agree to a video chat too quickly. If in doubt: first tape off the chat camera so that you can only communicate verbally and observe what is happening.
  • Do not consent to exposure or intimate acts in video chats if you have only known the person for a short time.
  • Always keep the operating and virus protection systems on your online devices such as smartphones, laptops, tablets or computers up to date to protect yourself from malicious software, so-called malware. There is malware that easily activates your webcam and can use it to film you at any time.

In line with this topic:

Blackmail in Snapchat Chat
Warning: Blackmail attempt with intimate video


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )