What Should a Victim of Sextortion Do?

            She messaged you out of the blue, and she seemed interested. She said all the right things, and sent some very naughty photos your way. You responded in kind with your intimate images only to find not everything was as it seemed.

Now you’re being sextorted, your content being held for ransom by some stranger on the internet – what should a sextortion victim do? It’s time like these where it’s best to turn to the professionals for sextortion help. We’ll talk about the steps you should take if you’re caught in a sextortion scam in this article.

The Right Mental Space Makes a Difference

            The first thing to remember: sextortion online is a crime. You may have let your guard down, you may have trusted the wrong person, and you may be embarrassed but at the end of the day when you’re being sextorted you are the victim of a crime.

Depending on the scenario, sexotortionists may try to twist the situation to make it seem like you’ll be the one in trouble if anything public gets out – and while having your content released online can be embarrassing and yes, even potentially damaging, you have not committed anything that would get you in trouble with the law.

            Additionally, when considering what should a victim of sextortion do, keeping calm is incredibly important. Sextortionists are ones to rush and harass their victims, and part of this is to get the money or favors they demand sooner, but part of this is a mental tactic as well. A sextortion victim under duress, experiencing heightened stress and anxiety, is more prone to suggestion – they want you off-kilter to be more open giving in. Centering yourself, roping racing thoughts back into pace will be a key starting point to proceeding to deal with the situation.

Observe and Report

            Keep a clear record of any and all interactions you have with the suspect. If you can screen-shot your interactions, all the better – that may not always be the readily available choice, if you’re experiencing sextortion on snapchat or platforms that tell chat participants when a screen shot has been taken. There are third-party screen recording applications that you can find to assist in that area, should you need (take a look at your respective App Store to see what’s available). Either way, keeping as much evidence as possible will only help you down the road should it be needed.

            Additionally, you will want to file a police report with your local precinct – while most local police departments are ill-equipped to deal with cyber-crimes, having a report filed is a good additional step in documentation. Do it sooner rather than later, as having a report on file early is good for any scenarios, as we mentioned before, where a sextortionist may try to paint you as a criminal. In addition, you may also consider visiting the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center (IC3), which has a platform to report sextortion online – while not much may come from it, again, it reinforces your situation as a sextortion victim and gives you more ability to control any fallout that may occur.

To Block or Not to Block?

            Some experts will tell you, blocking the sextortionists is the best bet as a sextortion victim. This is debatable.

There is some merit to the statement – some sextortionists will give up after communications are cut off. Especially if they don’t yet have enough information to track down your other social media accounts or connections. However, this is a double-edged sword. There are just as many if not more that will only be angered by this action.  Don’t take the risk! So what should a victim of sextortion do instead? Keep communication to a minimum. Don’t engage unless necessary to stall for more time, especially if you’re seeking expert assistance with your situation.

Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe

            Locking down your social media accounts (at least, the ones that the sextortionist hasn’t contacted you on – more on that later) is always a good plan. Change your passwords, and update your privacy settings to show your profile to as few people as possible. Do not rush to deactivate the accounts the sextortionist knows about already, but limit their ability to see followers, friends, contacts, and as much information that you have online as possible. Do not outright block the sextortionist, or deactivate the accounts they already know – we’ll get more into this later, but you run a few risks should you do this. Stick to locking down your visibility where you can, before moving forward.

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

         Sextortionists may make themselves out have honor amongst thieves, promising to delete your content should you pay them. They may even haggle with you, lowering their demand based on conversational factors. You may believe that if you get them low enough and pay them something that this will all go away.

It couldn’t be further from the truth. PAYING A SEXTORTIONIST NEVER WORKS.

            Sextortion scams don’t really end when money is in play. Paying a sextortionist only signals to them that you’re afraid enough or easily manipulated. Which means you’re prone to paying more money down the line, leading to further harassment. Besides this, this paints a target on your back for other sextortionists to wheel around and attempt to double-dip. As many of these scammer cells will share content and target lists amongst themselves. The best practice is to not pay them anything, and to keep interaction to a minimum.

HOW TO REPORT SEXTORTION?

            Now, what should a victim of sextortion do when it comes to seeking help? Due to the uniqueness of each situation, the absolute best bet you can make is to find expert assistance.

Having people who specialize in handling these situations will only increase your chances of coming out of it.

Our company has a long track record of successful cases when it comes online sextortion. Aside from our advice we’re also here to help you with our services. 

For more information, or to seek assistance with a situation of online blackmail, reach out to our sextortion helpline – we’re available 24/7 for your support. Now You Know What to Do If You’re Being Blackmailed Online.

We can help you with different types of blackmail or sextortion. Here you can report:

Facebook Blackmail (Facebook Sextortion)

Instagram Blackmail (Sextortion On Instagram)

Snapchat Blackmail (Snapchat Sextortion)

Its time to act now. Don’t hesitate. If you’re a victim this situation needs expert help