How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Sextortion

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Sextortion is a form of online exploitation in which someone coerces or blackmails another person into providing explicit sexual images, and videos, or engaging in sexual acts. The perpetrator may use various tactics to manipulate the victim, such as threatening to release compromising material publicly, sharing it with the victim's friends and family, or distributing it widely online unless the victim complies with their demands.

 

Sextortion often begins with the perpetrator gaining access to explicit content or personal information through hacking, social engineering, or other deceptive means. Once they have the material, they use it as leverage to extort the victim. This can have severe emotional, psychological, and sometimes even physical consequences for the victim, who may feel trapped and powerless in the situation.

Photo by Nikita Belokhonov

It is important for individuals to be cautious about sharing sensitive information online and to report any instances of sextortion to law enforcement authorities. Maintaining strong online security practices, such as using unique and complex passwords, being cautious about sharing personal information, and being aware of phishing attempts, can help reduce the risk of falling victim to sextortion.

Coming Soon - Deceitful Acts - a Novella by Vivienne Diane Neal

Synopsis: Samuel Pond and Jason Brown met in college, became best friends, and wanted to make a mark on the world by becoming successful entrepreneurs, but their pathway to success was marred by betrayal, lust, revenge, extortion, and scandal. This narrative contains some mild sexual content and is intended for mature adults over 18 years of age.

Deceitful Acts in e-print can be pre-ordered now by clicking here.

If you can’t wait for the e-book, you can order the paperback now by clicking here.

The Love Scam That Preys on Your Fears by Vivienne Diane Neal

Just when you think you have heard all of the scams out there, there is always another one waiting in the wings.  And this particular scam does not occur on the Internet but through the postal service.

It begins with an official-looking typed letter sent to couples, pretending that someone has been discovered cheating, and that affair will be exposed unless you pay to keep it hidden, but you already know you and your spouse have been faithful throughout the marriage. But if you haven’t been faithful, you’re probably wondering how this individual knew you committed adultery.  

In a third of all marriages, one or both partners have admitted to cheating. The scammer will capitalize on those numbers by mailing official-looking letters, as bait, to get your attention, and most likely you will open the mail and read its content. The odds that a couple will receive this type of letter through snail mail are pretty low and are done by process of elimination. Therefore, if the con artist sends out that official-looking letter to ten people, chances are two to three people receiving that letter have actually cheated on his or her spouse. The scammer will then threaten to expose the affair by demanding a hefty amount of money and if the person doesn’t pay, that individual will suffer the consequences.

Because that cheater may feel guilty and doesn’t want his or her debauchery to be out in the open, he or she will pay and will be asked to send the money through Bitcoin, which is done anonymously. This means you may never be able to track this person and report him or her to the proper law enforcement agency because the process is done in complete secrecy.

If you ever receive this type of letter, whether you cheated or not, forward it to the FBI because blackmail, a form of extortion, is a criminal act.

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Source: CBS News, April 6, 2018