I'm Being Blackmailed Online - What Should I Do?
When you are being blackmailed online you can find yourself in an extremely stressful and scary situation. You might experience stigma, shame, and a lack of control in the hands of the blackmailer.
However there are actions you can take to combat online blackmail and protect yourself.
Take These Steps
1. Do not interact with the blackmailer or pay their ransom. Giving in to blackmail demands is unlikely to do anything but embolden the blackmailer to issue further demands. Paying blackmailers does not guarantee the deletion of the material that they threaten to publish.
2. Keep records of all communications and evidence. Save screenshots, emails, texts, usernames and any other information you have about the blackmailer.
3. Check your email provider and social media accounts to find out more about securing your accounts. Change passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and scrub your online presence of vulnerabilities the blackmailer could take advantage of.
4. Seek the advice of a team who has experience in handling blackmail cases. They can advise you on the law and strong legal strategies for fighting back. You have alternatives to capitulation. The Anti-Extortion Law Firm specializes in guiding and protecting victims of blackmail.
5. Find emotional support from trusted friends and family. It is difficult to manage this alone and the pressure can be overwhelming.
What is Online Blackmail?
Online blackmail is the crime of threatening to publish sensitive, potentially embarrassing information or material about someone unless a payment or other demands are met.
The internet and social media have given blackmailers more anonymity and opportunities to find leverage over victims.
Here are a few common tactics used in blackmail schemes online:
· Hacking - The illegal entry to someone’s online accounts and collaborations stealing the compromising content. Photos, messages, search history, financial information and more can be lifted.
· Phishing - Impersonating a legitimate entity in order to deceive victims into surrendering their login credentials, which grants access to private material. Phishing is a common method of harvesting passwords that creates fake login pages.
· Catfishing - Using a false identity online to entice victims into giving away or communicating sensitive information, pictures, videos, or conversations that are later used to blackmail them.
· Grooming - Gaining the trust of an individual and then using a spurious identity to manipulate them into handing you something you could blackmail them. It is a slow and steady process of building trust to facilitate the exploitation.
Is Blackmail Common?
Unfortunately, online blackmail scams are all too prevalent nowadays.
The anonymity, reach, and speed of communications via the internet have made it easier for blackmailers to commit this crime and to target potentially wide audiences.
· The Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 16,000 complaints involving blackmail or extortion in 2020, with reported losses topping $43 million.
· Blackmailers usually use compromising photos and videos as ammunition.
· Victims span every demographic - age, gender, race, occupation, income level, location, etc. Everybody has some level of subjectivity to targeting.
Is Blackmail a Crime?
Blackmail is a crime in most jurisdictions, but the exact laws and penalties differ from one area to another. Some key legal facts:
· Blackmail is covered under extortion laws in the U.S. at the federal and state levels.
· There are specific laws against it in the UK and Canada.
· Countries typically have much broader laws against fraud, coercion or threats that render blackmail itself illegal.
· Blackmail, under the legal definition, usually entails threatening to damage someone's reputation or property to extort money or action in return for keeping quiet. Merely asking for hush money can be blackmail.
· Even if the sensitive information is true, the threat itself may constitutes criminal liability. Truth is generally not a defense.
Are People Powerless Against Blackmailers?
There is a unique disempowerment and terror that comes in the moment from being blackmailed online.
But there are things you can do to get more control over the situation:
1. Do not do something impulsive or think you are left without alternatives. It can drive people to make bad decisions. Step back to see what is happening with a cool head before you make your next moves.
2. Document everything. Maintaining detailed records makes a much stronger case should you seek assistance from law enforcement or the Anti-Extortion Law Firm. This may also assist uncover who is behind the extortion.
3. Leverage your resources. You do not have to endure this alone. These situations fall under the purview of investigators and law enforcement that may be able to assist you. The Anti-Extortion Law Firm specializes in assisting victims of blackmail or extortion.
4. Look for the cause and not just the symptom. Secure your accounts and cease risky communications such that this does not continue to happen in the future.
It may not seem like it at first, but you have additional strength and support in your corner for fighting back against being blackmailed online.
Will Paying the Blackmailer Make Them Go Away?
You can understandably hope that meeting whatever demand the blackmailer makes will somehow end the matter. But that is seldom the reality. Yielding to their threats typically backfires:
· Giving blackmailers anything is an incentive to continue trying to blackmail you.
· If you comply with their demands, you send blackmailers a message that their tactics are effective, and they will be able to continue to hold the reins of control over you through fear.
· There is no way to ensure blackmailers will delete the material. Because it is so easy to copy and spread data on the internet. Often, blackmailers will promise to delete information – but it is generally never in their interest to do so.
Appeasing online blackmailers might seem to make the problem go away quickly. But it risks much greater damage in the long run.
Key Takeaways
· Do not pay anything and do not respond to demands
· Document all evidence
· Lock down online accounts
· Consult an counsel, investigations, or law enforcement.
· Get emotional support
The Anti-Extortion Law Firm guides and assists victims through their blackmail situations to safe-harbor. If you are being blackmailed, contact us today.
