It started as a hello, a short flirtation with a seductive stranger that quickly escalated into a series of intimate messages, with images and videos shared that felt thrilling at the time. But that fantasy soon devolved into a living nightmare when you discovered the person you had confided in was not only using a persona, but is now threatening to leak your content unless you send them money. This situation is increasingly common, with thousands falling victim to sextortion tactics each year.
Understanding that you have been wronged, you report the incident to law enforcement, who suggest you consult a sextortion attorney. However, after reaching out to an attorney who claims to offer support in this area, you quickly discover that they might not be equipped to get you what you need… Removal of the content the scammer is using to blackmail you and assurance that your blackmailer will never try this again.
But what is stopping these extortion attorneys from effectively stopping these criminals? The answer is complicated and often shares similarities with why law enforcement officers cannot effectively prosecute these criminals. It is a matter of anonymity.
What is stopping most attorneys from prosecuting sextortionists?
Sextortion is a type of cybercrime with two major obstacles that help ensure they cannot be easily prosecuted by attorneys or local law enforcement. The first is their anonymity while the second is the location in which they commit the crime.
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (Link to Cornell Law School site on jurisdiction definition) refers to the legal authority of the court to hear and decide a case. Your attorney can only effectively address the situation with your blackmailer if the blackmailer is in the same country where laws against the crime are enforceable.
If your blackmailer is committing the crime in the same state as you, your attorney can quickly file a criminal suit against the offender to ensure they do not release the content or pursue civil action if they do release the content.
However, like many sextortionists who have created a business out of online blackmail, the blackmailer is located outside of the United States in countries like Nigeria, India, or the Philippines, pursuing legal action becomes a complicated matter, hindering your attorney’s ability to act effectively on your behalf.
Anonymity
Of the two anonymity is the more significant barrier preventing swift and effective legal action against sextortionists. Victims of sextortion often find themselves in a frustrating situation, as they may not know who they are dealing with.
Anonymity is a well-known tactic among blackmailers, which is why they employ various methods.
Four Ways Digital Blackmailers Preserve Their Anonymity:
- Masking IP Addresses: they often use VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to hide their true IP address, making it challenging to trace their location.
- Fake Accounts: Many blackmailers create accounts using free email services, allowing them to register with fake names, birthdays, phone numbers, etc. securing their anonymity.
- Cryptocurrency Payments: If you have received demands from your blackmailer that payments for their silence be submitted in the form of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin, it is intentional, as this complicates the process of tracking and recovering payments.
- Temporary Messaging Apps: Blackmailers often entice their targets to move their conversations off more monitored social apps to messaging apps that allow temporary messaging.
By employing these strategies, blackmailers effectively shield themselves from any repercussions from the sextortion attorney you contracted to stop them.
What Services Will A Sextortion Attorney Offer You?
In cases where your blackmailer’s identity is unknown or where they are located outside of the legal jurisdiction of the U.S. government, your attorney may offer you different services. Please note that while they may sound beneficial, these paid services may not be effective when dealing with international sextortionists or sextortion rings.
#1 Cease & Desist Letter
A Cease & Desist Letter is a formal demand that the blackmailer cease and desist their illegal action. While the letter serves as an official notice that you as the victim has contracted a lawyer to take legal action if the harassment continues, it is at best a scare tactic.
Sending a Cease & Desist is only effective if the identity of the blackmailer is known and in the country where the legal jurisdiction of the attorney holds weight. As a result, the blackmailer might feel emboldened to ignore the letter or worse push the blackmail further, knowing you as the victim can afford legal services.
#2 Help Filing A Police Report
While filing a police report is something you should consider whether or not you have an attorney, it’s important to understand that local law enforcement face the same challenges of anonymity and jurisdiction. These factors can significantly impact the effectiveness of their investigations often resulting in their advice to file a report with the FBI.
While the FBI will also take the report, they often prioritize cases where the victims are children due to the potential of immediate harm. This may cause delays for adult victims of sextortion.
#3 Provide Emotional Support
Many legal advisors who claim to offer sextortion services often emphasize their ability to “Provide Emotional Support” to clients during this distressing time. While emotional support is vital when navigating the trauma associated with sextortion, it is important to recognize that these services often come with significant financial implications. The legal industry can be costly, with some advisors charging substantial hourly fees for each contact or consultation.
Why Digital Forensics Is Different from a Sextortion Attorney
As you seek assistance, it is essential to weigh the benefits of legal support against the costs involved. As we have covered in this article, there are factors that can prevent sextortion attorneys from effectively working with their clients and providing positive outcomes for their clients.
This is what makes Digital Forensics Corp.’s approach to sextortion different. At DFC our approach is to utilize the specialized skills of our engineers and analysts to help prevent our client’s information from being released and prevent future contact with their blackmailers. We do this by deploying a process the breaks through your blackmailer’s anonymity.
Our Mission: Ending Blackmail and Restoring Peace of Mind
At Digital Forensics, our team of digital forensics engineers and social engineering experts are dedicated to confronting blackmailers and ensuring they stop. We utilize advanced technology to uncover your blackmailer’s identity, gathering crucial information such as their IP address, location, digital footprint, and potentially financial details.
Once we have this information, our team acts on your behalf to help you achieve your goal: obtaining proof that the blackmailer has deleted all content used to extort you. This process aims to eliminate their ability to target you in the future.,
As an added measure, our monitoring services provide ongoing protection for your reputation, offering you much-needed peace of mind.
If you or someone you love is facing sextortion, please contact our Sextortion Helpline for immediate assistance 24/7, we can help.
Sources:
- National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) – Stay Safe Online: https://staysafeonline.org/
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – Surveillance Self-Defense: https://ssd.eff.org/
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – 2022 Internet Crime Report: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2022_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI-Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking: https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/child-exploitation
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.
