As people have become aware of certain scams, criminals have switched up their methods to stay undetected. The days of the Nigerian Prince emails are long gone. Now, cybercriminals are using more sophisticated schemes that remain largely unknown. Even in cases of sextortion, cybercriminals are already evolving their methods to capture more victims.
Sextortion comes in many different forms and understanding these different tactics can go a long way in overcoming the crime or avoiding becoming a victim in the first place. There are four main types of sextortion to watch out for: traditional, law enforcement impersonation, deepfake, and email.
Traditional Financial Sextortion
In traditional sextortion, a cybercriminal uses a false online persona to lure unsuspecting users into a relationship. Then, they trick the victim into sending explicit images or photos and begin the extortion. Although people are becoming more aware of traditional sextortion, the scam is unfortunately, still extremely effective.
Catfishing and Social Engineering
Sextortionists rely on two tools to commit their crimes: anonymity and deception. Anonymity is used by keeping their identity secret. They can perform sextortion from anywhere in the world and escape any consequences. Deception is used in their catfishing methods. These sextorters create a false online persona by either stealing images online, using the likeness of someone they know in real life, or using AI deepfakes. Both tools are effective in drawing people in and social engineering is what builds trust.
Some catfishers will also occasionally send candid images to preemptively avoid claims that they aren’t real. Eventually, they suggest making the relationship intimate. This can be after weeks of constant interaction or months. The criminal will send an explicit image of the catfishing persona they are assuming. They ask for the victim to do the same thing in exchange and this is when the extortion begins.
The Extortion Phase
Once the cybercriminal has your intimate images or videos, they drop the catfishing persona and use aggressive language to threaten the victim. This can include threats to send your images to those closest to you, promises to ruin your life, or to publish the information online for the world to see.
The use of intimidating language is intentional. They want the victim to be terrified, distressed, and desperate. It’s when victims feel a sense of helplessness that the criminal gives them a chance to avoid any exposure by paying them a certain amount. They will give the victim a short deadline so that there is no time to think of another solution. During this phase, the criminal will send non-stop threats until the victim meets their demands.
If the victim does pay the demanded amount, they end up in a worse position. The blackmailer will see the victim as having the means and desperation to comply with any demands they make. The threats and blackmail can continue for years or until the victim has no more money to give.
Law Enforcement Impersonation Sextortion
Law enforcement impersonation scams are not new. Typically, a person posing as a law enforcement officer will call you over the phone and inform you that there is a fine or a warrant for your arrest. After intimidating the victim with threats of jail time, they will pressure you to pay the fine over the phone or through an online payment system. However, there is an unnerving new type of law enforcement scam that is essential to be aware of.
The “Age Play” Trap
This type of sextortion scam begins similar to the traditional one. The cybercriminal presents themselves as a very young adult interested in dating. They build a relationship with their target, an older adult, and eventually exchange explicit images or videos. This is when the relationship shifts into a new type of sextortion.
The next message the victim receives from the perpetrator informs them that the young adult they were messaging was actually a minor. This can come from the young adult or their parent. Next comes a slew of messages threatening to get the police involved and to take legal action against you for engaging in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) unless you pay them.
The intricacy of this scam can convince victims that it’s real. These scammers use fear, social stigma, and the threat of arrest to put victims in extreme duress and a state of depression.
Spoofing and Extortion
In an “Age Trap” scam, the blackmailer doesn’t need you to send explicit content to them. Once they send explicit content to you through their false persona, they can begin threatening you with CSAM allegations. However, the cybercriminal may also impersonate a parent or police officer as a form of extra validation to the seriousness of this situation.
Posing as the police officer, the scammer will disguise their email address, sender name, or phone number to mimic a legitimate law enforcement entity. They may even use the name of a local police officer in an email or on a call.
The goal of the cybercriminal posing as the law enforcement officer is to make you panic. They want you convinced that there are legal consequences for what you’ve done and they may fake documents like a warrant to substantiate their claims. This all leads to a demand for a certain amount of money to make everything go away. However, a legitimate officer would never demand money or threaten prison through a text, phone call, or email.
The Threat of Legal Consequences
Engaging with CSAM is a serious accusation that can lead to imprisonment, public shame, and a permanent listing on the sex offender registry. These consequences are used by blackmailers to threaten victims. Cybercriminals posing as parents may also threaten to go to the police, demanding money to keep quiet. At the end of the day, these are all scams and the perpetrator will not be bringing any charges against you. They are also likely not a minor.
These types of sextortion scams are taken seriously by law enforcement. You should immediately report this scam to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) if you are a victim. They may investigate the crime and the culprits involved.
Deepfake Sextortion
Unfortunately, sextortion is not limited to those who have access to your private images or videos anymore. Cybercriminals can use deepfake technology to create realistic but fake explicit images or videos of you. With sextortion deepfakes, a scammer will create sexual deepfakes and will send them to their target in a DM. They will then threaten to send the images to the victim’s family and friends unless they pay a certain amount of money. Sometimes, the perpetrator will demand sexual content as further damaging information to use against the victim.
AI-Generated Content
Deepfake technology uses artificial intelligence to analyze and replicate someone’s face and voice. The replicated likeness can either be modified to look convincingly different or used to blend the face onto another body. A harmless image on social media can be modified with deepfake technology to be naked or they can put your face onto someone else’s nude image. This type of sextortion speeds up the blackmail process and allows criminals to target a lot more people.
The Damage and Impact
Even though sextortion deepfakes are not real, their threat to your life is. They can be convincing and still do the same damage as an authentic photo. Victims will go through a similar psychological duress and emotional distress. Unfortunately, the legal protections against non-consensual sexual deepfakes are minimal. Only 30 states have adopted laws against sexual deepfake abuse in the U.S. and there is still no federal law against it(1).
Sextortion Emails
Another type of sextortion is through your email. In a sextortion email, the perpetrator focuses less on building a relationship and more on immediately deceiving you. Phishing scams are very common to receive in email but the threat of a sextortion email is also significant.
The Threat of Compromised Content
Many blackmailers have nothing to threaten you with and yet will still target you. Just by making you believe they have compromising information, you will feel pressured to comply with the culprit’s demands. This form of sextortion email often begins with the cybercriminal making strong claim to have explicit content of you.
Now, how did they get the content? They may claim to have recordings from your web camera, private images or videos off your computer, or claim to be a former partner. No matter what they claim, they will always create a sense of urgency in the emails without proving that they have any damaging information.
Malware and Ransomware Tactics
Sextortion emails can also use phishing tactics to target victims. In a phishing scam, criminals send links or attachments full of malware. However, getting users to click on the link is the challenge. Since people are aware of the typical scams, criminals create spoofing accounts of legitimate institutions to trick email users.
The scam email will claim to have an important link or attachment but in reality, the link is set up with malware to infect the device. Phishing scams are widely used by scammers. For example, in sextortion emails, the perpetrator will attach what they claim to be an explicit image or video of the victim only for it to actually be a virus. Other examples of phishing scams can include fake amazon order confirmations, suspicious login attempt on social media platforms, co-worker impersonations, and a lot more.
Prevention and Response
Cybercriminals are only getting more sophisticated with how they approach online blackmail. The different types of sextortion continuing to grow is a perfect example of this. Protecting yourself is more important than ever in the digital age. However, you also need to know how to respond in case you do become a victim.
Protecting Yourself Online
Defending against every type of sextortion is difficult. However, getting ahead of the trends and limiting who has access to you will lower your chances of becoming a victim. Here are a few more prevention measures you can take now.
- Change your privacy settings. Your social media accounts are fuel for blackmailers to use against you. Make sure your accounts are private and limit your friends or followers to people you know.
- Be cautious of what you post. Sextortion deepfakes can turn the most harmless content into something malicious. Always think twice about what you are putting out there on the internet.
- Do not read or respond to DMs. A lot of times online blackmail begins when a victim engages with a stranger. However, if you never interact with them, they can’t begin their sextortion.
- Use anti-virus software. Anti-virus software can protect your computer from malware and any attempt to steal your data.
What to Do If You Become a Victim
Facing online blackmail of any kind is a traumatizing experience and has detrimental psychological effects that can last years. However, it’s important to act immediately and with a purpose. Here are some immediate steps to take when dealing with a sextortionist.
- Document everything. You need to document the timeline of events and all of the messages exchanged. This will help law enforcement investigate and identify your blackmailer. It will also keep your options open for how to take legal action in the future.
- Report to law enforcement and relevant online platforms. It’s always recommended to report any threat of sextortion to the platform administrators and to law enforcement. Your local police station will help you file a report, look at the legal actions you could take, and may even investigate the crime if they have the resources. However, the case can take multiple months or years for the police to solve.
- Seek support from trusted sources. Enduring the extreme stress that comes with blackmail is not bearable alone. Your online blackmail situation can continue for months. To keep yourself mentally healthy, it’s important to talk with someone you trust like a friend, family member, or therapist.
Digital Forensics Corp: Your Resource
Digital Forensics Corp. has a team of experts that are ready to help you with any type of sextortion. We can help you with prevention in cybersecurity or in responding with a digital investigation. Our skilled professionals have been fighting against online blackmail for over a decade and provide a wide array of expertise to bring to you.
Expertise and Services
When it comes to sextortion, our main priority is to protect your privacy. We are well-versed in the techniques and behavior of these cybercriminals. We know exactly how to communicate with them and take control of the situation. Using our vast experience, we track the digital footprint left by the culprit. Our team will then work tirelessly to end the sextortion by removing the blackmailer’s leverage over you and ending their threats against you. If you want to regain control over your privacy, get a free consultation about sextortion today.
Further Resources and Support
Digital Forensic Corp. is always a call away but there are also other resources you can turn to for help as well. Nonprofit organizations have been working diligently to online blackmail and provide helpful resources to support victims.
- Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI): A nonprofit that helps victims and survivors of image-based sexual abuse and the laws aimed at protecting them(2).
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: A nonprofit that provides assistance to victims, families, and others when they need help with a missing, exploited or recovered minor(3).
Sources:
- https://www.multistate.ai/deepfakes-sexual
- https://cybercivilrights.org/
- https://www.missingkids.org/home
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.
