Last Updated on July 7, 2023

Have you ever been contacted on Skype by someone you don’t know and been asked for nude pictures? If so, you may have been a victim of a sextortion scam.  In this article we’ll tell you How to Handle Sextortion.

These scams are becoming more and more common, and can be very tricky to deal with. In this blog post, we’ll provide you with some tips on how to protect yourself from online  sextortion, and what to do if you become a victim.

Skype is typically used for videoconferencing and voice calls, used by businesses to interact with colleagues or for average users connecting with loved ones, either way the platform’s audience has expanded and unfortunately caught the attention of a more malicious crowd. Sextortion is infecting dozens of social, and networking platforms making it harder for users to avoid falling victim. Here are a few ways sextortionists utilize platforms:

• Sextortionists aim to meet their potential victims on social media for many reasons. They use victims’ public information such as their friends list, jobs, community groups and threaten to expose their content to said groups of people.
• Lots of sextortion cases typically entail multiple avenues of communication between the suspect and the victim. A suspect will ask their victim to add them on multiple accounts. This gives the suspect an ability to contact their victim through numerous platforms and gives them more platforms to potentially expose them on.

What Does Skype Have to Offer?

Skype is beneficial to sextortionists for many reasons. It is a platform that allows video calls, phone calls, and messaging, which has all of the features a sextortionists needs to obtain content and harass their victim.

As I mentioned before Skype is also not a platform that is on high alert when it comes to harassing policies, which is why so many suspects aim to move the conversation over to platforms that are more discreet, Google Hangouts Scam and Google Chat are other prime examples of platforms that suspects tend to ask their victims to move to.

Suspects are also able to manipulate what they share with their victim over video chat. The majority of content they share with their victim is from other adult websites that they have screen recorded. Once they ask their victim to engage in a spicy video call, they will play a fake video and pull it up to the screen. Suspects will claim their mic is broken so the video call doesn’t produce audio which is also beneficial to the suspect.

How to Handle Sextortion – What’s Next?

Once a suspect gives their demands and starts to threaten their victims with exposure, things can get scary.

Here are tips on what to do:

Firstly.

You do not want to ignore your blackmailer. Ignoring them will only make things worse and can potentially make the suspect expose you sooner. It’s easier said than done but it’s important to not make any rash decisions. Play it cool, and agree that you will pay to get your content, but need some time to get the money.

Secondly.

DO NOT pay the suspect. It’s important to understand that if you send them any money, the blackmail will not end. They will know their scare tactics are working and you have the money to cough up. Just try to keep stalling your suspect as long as you can while you seek out help from professionals.

What can the police do about blackmail

Thirdly, contact your local authorities and the FBI to report your blackmail. This is a safety measure we recommend all of our clients to take. Police are typically unequipped to deal with sextortion cases especially ones that deal with a suspect overseas but having a report on file can save your reputation if a suspect was to present a false narrative to the public, which they typically do.

Fourthly, keep all of your privacy settings locked down and secured on all of your social media accounts, and any account you have online.

Lastly, in order to get this online blackmail under control in a timely manner, it’s vital that victims seek out the help of blackmail specialists.

How To Report Sextortion

No one is immune to sextortion and it can happen to anyone. If you experience something like this, please reach out for help. Your digital privacy is important and there are people who can help you protect yourself online. We are among the many cyber-crime companies that specialize in sextortion are available to you 24/7. Contact Our Sextortion Helpline. We are here to help you 24/7

Now You Know How To Deal With Sextortion. It’s Time To Act. Handle Sextortion Today.