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Cases can be investigated using Social Media
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms surpassed only by Facebook and YouTube, while rivaling the popularity of WhatsApp. Its large market share makes it a hotspot for activity amongst legitimate users and scammers alike. While the platform makes efforts to monitor for bad actors and bots, it isn’t a perfect system.
In the past, Instagram has struggled with accounts that openly posted nude images that would entice viewers to interact with the account. These accounts were bot accounts operating to collect viewers and send them off the platform to another site.
At present, Instagram has addressed the issue of sextortion on the platform, but many accounts are run by scammers looking to interact with others in a way that is closer to a catfish scam. Accounts that exist to catfish and take advantage of vulnerable users are likely looking to commit sextortion.
Sextortion is a romance scam, which is a method of convincing a vulnerable person that a fake account is interested in pursuing an intimate relationship. The fake account is run by a scammer with the purpose of obtaining explicit images, sexual videos, and sexual messaging.
Sextortionists flock to social media platforms because of their low barrier of entry. Most social media platforms only require an email address, so a fake account holder can make a throwaway email address and get started.
For those unaware, a throwaway email address is made for the purpose of using for a single use or outside their personal use. That means the social media account is created with an email address that isn’t directly tied to them.
With these layers of protections in place and the likelihood that the scammer is targeting people outside their general area, they will begin targeting individuals. Many sextortionists want to keep their attacks out of the public eye, so instead of engaging with them in front of the public, they will slide into the DMs of their target. Direct messages allow users to carry on a conversation directly with each other with no oversight by other users on the platform.
A platform like Instagram allows for the sending of images, videos, and messages in its direct message portion of the app. Messages stick around like an ongoing text message conversation, while the images and videos sent directly from one user to another are only viewable once or for a short window. This false sense of privacy may feel like users can send intimate images or videos without them ever being saved.
The issue is that modern devices can screenshot and screen record. Meaning that whatever is seen on the screen of a device can be directly saved as it’s being viewed in real time. Explicit images can be saved forever, even though it was never intended to be seen or viewed more than once.
Sextortionists will count on their victims being unaware of the pitfalls of these features alongside their catfishing as they convince their target to provide nude images. The scammer may send along some of their own, which likely aren’t theirs at all, and weave a false relationship. When their victim has provided nude images, the conversation will take a dark turn.
With a victim having provided the sextortionist with the material they’re seeking, the blackmail will begin. Blackmail, in the context of sextortion, is the threat of releasing the images or videos obtained from their victim to the public.
Blackmail poses a significant threat and is taken very seriously by the government. The FBI will investigate instances of cybercrime, which include blackmail and sextortion.
The once cordial and thoughtful scammer will show their true colors by revealing their true intention. The goal of a scammer is to get paid, and they will begin their extortion tactics.
Sextortion scams rely on the ability to threaten their victim to receive payment.
For a scammer to achieve their goal, they need something to hold against their victim and, in this case, a venue for the threat. Most often, a scammer will threaten to release the nude images to the victim’s family, friends, or coworkers.
The sextortionist will have done their due diligence, carefully looking over the details of a victim’s profile or their friends and using online search engines to dig up as much information as they can.
The scammer may provide proof of their knowledge about their victim to intimidate them. They will warn the victim about going to law enforcement with intimidation tactics such as threatening to release the images if they do. This can make the victim feel as if they have no options other than to pay or give in to their attacker’s demands.
If you or someone you know is a victim of Instagram sextortion, it’s imperative to take action. Taking the right steps as soon as possible will help ensure the safety of the victim and help prevent the release of sensitive information or content.
Here are a few quick steps you can take to report your sextortionist:
Save any important details about the person and the exchange of information, and write a detailed account of what has transpired. Using the screenshot and screen record features of your smartphone will allow you to quickly document conversations.
Proper documentation can be important when contacting law enforcement or the appropriate authorities. Take screenshots of the user’s biography, posts, friends list, and any other information you come across. These details could be helpful down the road.
Use Instagram’s reporting feature to alert the platform about a financial sextortion scam. This step will also allow you to block the user and get an Instagram moderator to look at the scammer’s account. The Instagram platform can potentially ban the person from the app and may conduct its own investigation to prevent them from accessing it in the future.
Contact the proper authorities, such as your local law enforcement, and ask to speak to someone who handles cybercrime issues. If your local law enforcement doesn’t have such a division, you can contact the FBI.
If the victim of sextortion is a child or young person, the NCMEC (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) is a great resource that can help advocate for young people. Instances involving child safety should be taken very seriously as the trauma and legal ramifications can be great, with specific teams within authorities and law enforcement tasked to handle such cases.
Digital Forensics is specially equipped to handle sensitive cases such as Instagram sextortion. Our team of digital forensics engineers, social engineering experts, and lawyers specifically trained in cybercrime, are all ready to help you get back control of the situation. Our dedicated sextortion helpline can be reached 24/7 through our helpline phone number.
Our team is ready and capable of locating and identifying the criminals involved in your case. We use special proprietary tools that allow us to see the digital footprints left behind by cybercriminals.
We’ll help you bring the attacker to justice, documenting the situation with the proper legal needs if you are pursuing legal action. Protecting your private information and securing your accounts is one of our top priorities.
Securing your account to prevent a sextortion attack on Instagram is a great way to keep you and your loved ones safe. Instagram comes with many built-in features and settings that you can take advantage of. There are even some smart steps you can take beyond their provided settings.
Let’s take a look at what you can do to secure your Instagram account:
Setting your account to private makes it difficult for a potential sextortionist to single you out. A private account will only show the username, biography, and profile picture of the user.
Someone who isn’t a friend will be unable to see your Instagram posts, followers, or who you follow. This means all you have to worry about is not including personal info in your bio or username and keeping your profile picture neutral.
Keep your list of friends down to the ones you know. Reviewing your current list of friends allows you to make sure that those who you follow and who follow you are people you truly know. Removing unknown friends and duplicate accounts and vetting any new or current friends is a good idea.
Like with curating your friend list, you should curate your posts. This is especially helpful if you plan to keep your profile public. Many of your posts could hint at personal details that a bad actor could use to track you down and learn more about you.
They can quickly gain details about your location based on pictures and geotagging. They may also be able to identify your family by tagged posts, mentions of names, and comment history. Combining all of these steps can help ensure you’re able to use Instagram while remaining safe.
Sources:
Most Popular Social Networks Worldwide as of April 2024, by Number of Monthly Active Users | Statista
New Tools to Help Protect Against Sextortion and Intimate Image Abuse | Instagram
The Cyber Threat | FBI
Sextortion | NCMEC
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