You receive a random friend request on Snapchat from an account you have never seen before or recognize. You don’t think twice and decide to accept the request, and the next thing you know, this account is reaching out to you.
A simple conversation starts with you two aimlessly talking about seemingly random topics and interests until the topic turns down a sexual route. The idea of exchanging intimate photos with one another gets brought up, and you, seeing no harm in it, agree.
Within minutes your whole world is flipped upside down when this stranger sends you a lengthy message filled with your images and threats, claiming you will be exposed to the world if you don’t pay them the right amount of money. Does this sound like something you are currently experiencing? If so, read more to learn how to deal with Snapchat sextortion.
What Is Online Sextortion?
Sextortion is a cybercrime that is happening to hundreds, if not thousands of people all over the world. The ability to be anonymous online is a key factor in executing this crime, giving sextortionists the ability to create a false narrative that can catch the eye of anyone who is seeking some sort of companionship.
Although these criminals are good at what they do, they do also have some tell-tale signs of their fraud.
Here are a few characteristics to look out for:
- Photos: A lot of these suspects steal photos of real people. They will take screenshots of the images they are using which can lessen the quality of the photo. The number of photos they have of the person they are using as a catfish is important to notice as well. A lot of suspects do not have access to the same individual so they might only post a few images on their profile, leaving it quite bare.
- Followers: Pay attention to the number of followers the account is following. Sextortionists like to follow as many people as possible, this gives them a stronger chance to find a victim. A fake profile almost always has a longer list of following than followers.
- Language: The majority, but not all sextortionists, reside in foreign countries, such as The Ivory Coast, The Philippines, and Nigeria. To conceal their identity, they almost always create social media accounts that look like American women or men. If you are ever approached by an account that claims to have been born and raised in Los Angeles, California, but communicates with broken English and grammar, you should be concerned.
Snapchat’s User Base
Snapchat acknowledges that young people, particularly Gen Z, are facing the growing issue of sextortion, which is present on its platform. The issue of financial sextortion is prevalent on a platform like Snapchat because of its seemingly secure way of sending images, videos, and text conversations.
Although the app intends for its content to expire after 24 hours, there are methods for scammers to save explicit photos. Sixty-five percent of teens said they or their friends were targeted in romance scams.
This includes all social media platforms, not just Snapchat. These scams included catfishing and hacked accounts where sensitive images and videos were taken with the intention of blackmail. These instances of extortion are accompanied by requests for payment by gift cards, more sexual content, or other forms of payment.
The sextortionists will threaten to release the content of their young victims to friends and family if their demands aren’t meant. This leaves many victims of sextortion in a tough predicament of ignoring the threat, paying the scammer, or reporting the issue.
For some, ignoring the scammer can feel daunting and riskier than paying. Paying may not be possible for some and only encourages the scammer to further extort their victim, extending the issue. Many teens and young users feel ashamed to talk about the issue, which makes the issue of sextortion difficult and leads to under-reporting.
Snapchat’s Stance
Snapchat has implemented a family center to give parents and guardians a way to supervise activities. But, such features are often easily bypassed by making alternate accounts. There is also in-app safety information about the risk of sending intimate images, the online grooming of minors, and sex trafficking.
Snapchat’s internal research has shown that most young people reached out to someone in instances of sextortion, while only half reported the occurrence to an authority. This gap in reporting means that a large amount of sextortion issues go without consequence to the bad actors. These predators will likely continue their behavior and lead to more victims.
The platform has created technology intended to help identify people looking to commit sextortion. While these steps by Snapchat are encouraging, the tactics of scammers shift in order to adapt to the changing landscape.
Another way Snapchat is looking to aid in the reduction of scammers is by joining with the NCMEC. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a database that Snapchat can reference in order to remove content that violates its terms of service. Again, this fix assumes that scammers are using identifiable patterns that their system can detect.
A new addition to Snapchats that provides protection to its users is a reporting feature. This new reporting feature allows users to report an account with a special category under their “Nudity and Sexual Content” designation.
Users can now report someone who is threatening them with sexual content by selecting “They leaked / are threatening to leak my nudes.” Snapchat claims that they report these bad actors to the NCMEC and will be proactive in providing referrals to law enforcement when they have actionable evidence, leaving Snapchat to self-report these issues, which may not be ideal.
How to Deal with Snapchat Sextortion – How do I Protect Myself?
This unfortunate situation has landed you here. So, let’s get into three steps you should take when dealing with a sextortion scam on Snapchat. There is a critical window of time to take advantage of once harassment and threats begin:
The first and most important thing to do is document everything: messages, photos, and accounts. Snapchat, unfortunately, has a feature that will display when you have taken a screenshot of their Snaps.
This can make documenting more challenging. But there are ways around it. Depending on your Snapchat settings if you are able to save your messages longer than twenty-four hours, the better.
Many phones these days, too, have the ability to record their full screens without taking a screenshot – or potentially have access to applications that allow for screen recording and screenshots without using the phone’s inherent screenshot functions that trigger Snapchat’s notification – explore these options as well. It’s vital that there is proof of harassment and blackmail within your conversation to provide specialists and law enforcement.
The next step is to make sure your privacy settings are taken care of on your Snapchat and all other social media platforms.
Snapchat has some features that may put you more at risk -under privacy controls, we highly recommend changing your settings to ‘my friends’ to restrict who can contact you and view your story. Enabling the ability to see your location on the Snap Map is also something you should avoid, setting your location to ‘ghost mode’ takes away any more potential threats.
If the sextortionist hasn’t done so already, they are going to search your information using the details you have already given them, such as your name, city, etc. and find your other accounts to potentially expose you on.
Your friend’s list is their golden apple: if you make sure that isn’t visible to the public, amongst other private information, you have a stronger shot of not getting exposed to your friends and family.
How To Deal with Sextortion?
Lastly, seek out as much help as you can. Keeping law enforcement informed about your situation is vital. As well as having a sextortion and blackmail expert assist with your case.
Sextortionists can be extremely unpredictable and difficult to face alone. You may think you have a good chance in keeping this hush-hush by either blocking these criminals or paying them. But these are two of the biggest things specialists will tell you to avoid doing.
Here are Digital Forensics Corp, we’re available to you 24/7 to take on your case. We come with a 90% success rate in handling sextortion cases. Specifically, amongst other cybercrimes. Contact Our Sextortion Helpline.
Give us a call at 1-888-210-0574 to speak with someone today. We Know How to Deal with Snapchat Sextortion & Can Help You
Sources:
Digital Well-Being Index – Year Two | Snapchat
