When you’re being threatened with photos or videos, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or confused about the steps you should take. Should you pay the person who is blackmailing you with these images? No. While your blackmailer may promise that after a small payment they’ll delete the content they have on you, this is often a trick. Paying them only leads to more demands. It’s important not to comply. Instead, follow the steps outlined in the section “Steps You Can Take” to take control of the situation and protect yourself from further extortion.
The Essential Questions to Ask When Faced with Photo Blackmail
Extortionists are among the most ruthless criminals, and the anonymity provided by cyber blackmail scams allows them to threaten victims with damage to their reputations or even physical harm without thought of the consequences. As a result, they will use language designed to instill fear in their victims as a ploy to establish compliance.
When faced with this threat, it’s important that you ask yourself the following questions, as this information will play a key role in helping you take the proper steps to stop the blackmail.
Question #1: How Did the Blackmailer Get These Photos?
Regardless of the nature of the images being used to blackmail you, it’s vital to understand how they were obtained. In cases where nude or sexual photos are being used to threaten you (i.e., sextortion), you’ll want to know the channels through which you shared or video-chatted these images and with whom. Understanding how your blackmailer obtained the photos is crucial information that can help digital forensics experts trace the source of the blackmail. It can also help you identify which accounts and devices are vulnerable to future exposure.
Question #2: What Is the Threat?
When a blackmailer threatens to leak incriminating or embarrassing images of you, they will usually provide key information that the right helper can use to reduce your exposure. For example, if your blackmailer listed the friends or followers on Instagram to whom they will send the photos, this is a clue indicating which account you’ll need to report to Instagram, law enforcement, and any private investigators you’re working with.
Question #3: What Is Your Blackmailer Demanding?
Whether your blackmailer is demanding money, favors, or other actions, knowing the terms of the threat can help you evaluate and respond to the situation properly. If your blackmailer is demanding money in exchange for silence, you are likely in a position to delay their demands while you seek guidance from the proper authorities.
Steps You Can Take to Stop Blackmail with Photos
Equipped with the information you’ve gathered from the questions above, the next step is to get help from the proper channels. Below we’ll cover the organizations and services that can assist you in preventing exposure and taking proper action against your blackmailer. Remember, if you comply with your blackmailer’s demands, you could worsen your situation. Reporting the crime and preventing your exposure is the best route to take when facing blackmail with photos.
- Contact the Proper Authorities: While you may receive mixed messages from local authorities depending on where you live, the first step is to file a report with local law enforcement, providing them with details of the crime and any messages you’ve received from the criminal. One important factor to remember is that you do not need to provide local law enforcement with the information or photos you are being blackmailed with. This is not necessary for law enforcement to complete a report and is not something they will ask for.
- For U.S. Citizens Filing a Report with the FBI, Please visit their Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
- British Citizens and other Citizens of the UK should file a report with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
- AU Citizens should file reports on cyber blackmail to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).
If you’d like to learn more about working with the police or other law enforcement against extortion like blackmail and sextortion, check out this free resource: What Can The Police Do About Blackmail?
- Work with a Cybersecurity Company: Private cybersecurity firms like digital forensics can provide an array of services to help locate your blackmailer, upgrade your device security, and prevent potential exposure if your blackmailer intends to leak your content. If you’d like to speak with a cybersecurity professional, please visit our Blackmail Helpline for a confidential consultation.
- Report the Blackmail to System Administrators: As we covered in the previous section, knowing how your blackmailer made contact with you or your personal network is a great tool for reducing your potential for exposure. Whether it was through a dating app or social network, you will want to report your blackmailer to the system’s administrator. While the social network or dating app administrator will not be able to stop the blackmail, they can suspend or remove your blackmailer’s account from their network. This can help insulate you from potential exposure through these platforms.
- Enlist the Help of an Attorney: If you know the true identity and location of your blackmailer, this can give you proper ammunition to seek civil and criminal action. Once you have this information, you can consult an attorney experienced in handling sextortion and blackmail cases.
For more information on working with an attorney to combat online blackmail, you may want to read this article: Why your attorney can’t initially help you with sextortion.
- Tell Someone You Trust: It’s important to remember that you are a victim of a crime. You would not isolate yourself in shame if you were a victim of any other type of crime, and you shouldn’t do this when victimized by blackmail. Tell someone you trust and lean on them for emotional support as you go through this ordeal.
Digital Forensics Corp. Is Here to Help
Being silent will only make your perpetrator stronger. Reaching out to blackmail specialists can help bring an end to this nightmare. If you are a victim of blackmail, it is important to reach out for help and fight against your blackmailer.
Digital Forensics Corp. is a cybersecurity firm that specializes in stopping cyber criminals, both for corporate clients and innocent victims like yourself. If you or someone you love is being blackmailed with photos, please contact our Blackmail Helpline at 888.521.1551 for a free consultation on the steps you can take to respond to the threats, reduce the exposure, and end the nightmare of blackmail.
Sources:
- Federal Bureau of Investigations Internet Crime Complaint Center – https://www.ic3.gov/
- National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Reporting Instructions – https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/files/Sextortion-how-to-protect-yourself.pdf
- Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Reporting Instructions- https://www.cyber.gov.au/report-and-recover/report
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY SUBJECT MATTER. DIGITAL FORENSICS CORP. IS NOT A LAWFIRM AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE OR SERVICES. By viewing posts, the reader understands there is no attorney-client relationship, the post should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney, and readers are urged to consult their own legal counsel on any specific legal questions concerning a specific situation.
