Last Updated on June 11, 2025

There’s a reason criminals wear masks. Without an identity to link to the crime, criminals can operate with impunity and experience no disruption in their personal lives. The same can be applied to cybercriminals. Using fake profiles as a mask, these digital deviants can not only hide their identity but also attack people on a mass scale. While anonymity is a core defense for cybercriminals, there are multiple ways that victims and cybersecurity experts can trace criminals and catch a blackmailer.

What is Digital Forensics?

Digital forensics is the process of collecting and analyzing digital data in a way that preserves its admissibility as evidence in court. It is used by law enforcement and private cybersecurity experts to investigate cybercrimes. This forensic science can also support criminal and civil legal proceedings.

Like police officers collecting evidence from a crime scene, digital forensic experts follow a similarly strict process to avoid any tampering. Digital forensics is often used to identify the geolocation of the culprits, details about the device used to commit the cybercrime, and more. This data can lead to the perpetrator’s true identity, removing any anonymity they were hiding behind.

How Experts Can Catch a Blackmailer

Cybercrime investigations rely on a variety of different methods, technologies, and specialized tools. When an expert helps a blackmail victim, they will take over communications with the blackmailer and analyze data left behind from their interactions with the victim. Here is how digital forensic experts track and uncover the identity of blackmailers.

• Follow the Money: Every financial transaction leaves behind data that can be tracked. Depending on the payment method, experts will work with financial institutions like banks and crypto exchanges to trace money transfers and track laundering paths.
• IP Tracing: Tracing the IP address of a blackmailer is an important step in identifying the location of the criminal. However, getting to this step can be a challenge. Cybercriminals often use VPNs and proxies to shield their IP addresses.
• Communication Takeover: Cybercrime experts understand blackmailers and the tactics they use to target unsuspecting users. After taking over communications, they can flip the script by employing social engineering tactics to gain intel on the perpetrators. This data can then be used to convince blackmailers to abandon their schemes.
• Metadata Analysis: If the criminal doesn’t strip the metadata before sending files like images, videos, audio clips, and documents, an expert can gather clues about the location or tools used by the criminal. Metadata can reveal the device used to create the file, the software used, date of creation, geolocation, and file paths. However, opening a file from a cybercriminal can be dangerous, as it could be embedded with malware.

How to Respond to a Blackmail Attempt

When a blackmailer is threatening you with your own private information, they are relying on scare tactics to force you into compliance. They will impose urgent deadlines and make constant threats against you, claiming that the exposure will ruin your life or career. Of course, this is all just to overwhelm you emotionally, leading you to believe that compliance is your only option. However, working with experts is a way to fight back. On top of that, you can use these three tips to improve your situation.

• Do Not Give In: Complying with a blackmailer’s demands often has the opposite effect. Rather than staying true to their word to end the blackmail, they will continue to threaten you and increase their demands.
• Do Not Engage: Even responding to blackmailers can encourage them to intensify their threats against you. Instead, keep your communication with the perpetrator to an absolute minimum.
• Preserve Evidence: Law enforcement and digital forensics experts need evidence of the blackmail in order to properly investigate the crime. It’s important that you take screenshots of any correspondence with the blackmailer, along with the profiles used to target you. Anything relevant is important to record.

Tools Victims Can Use to Catch a Blackmailer

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is the process of collecting and analyzing publicly available information to take action. Using OSINT tools, victims can investigate users before they continue engaging with them. Here are three OSINT tools to take note of.

1. Reverse Image Searching: Websites like Tineye and Copyseeker allow users to discover other places where images have been published. This can help victims spot stolen images on profiles and identify the origin of the images.
2. Check for Reused Usernames: Scammers tend to diversify the platforms they use to increase their chances of finding a victim, which can lead to the reuse of certain usernames. Searching for these usernames on different platforms can reveal information about their activity and tactics.
3. WHOIS Lookup: If you receive a suspicious email or a threat to release your information on an unknown website, victims can use WHOIS Lookup to uncover more details about the attacker. A WHOIS Lookup reveals public registration information about a domain, including its registrant name, date of registration, and IP address. While many cybercriminals will take steps to protect themselves from a WHOIS Lookup, some will overlook this and make mistakes.

Reach Out to Law Enforcement for Expert Help

The authorities are always a valuable resource when facing blackmail. Your local police department can help you file an official report, recording the evidence of the blackmail to be used in legal proceedings. In some cases, law enforcement will have a cybercrime division with experts that specialize in digital forensics. However, there are two main factors that limit law enforcement’s ability to pursue cybercriminals.

1. The authority of police departments is confined to their specific local and state jurisdictions.
2. Police can’t act against a perpetrator that stays anonymous.

It’s best to also notify the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) of the online blackmail. They are not limited to local jurisdictions and have a wide variety of resources to identify and catch the blackmailer. In either case, a high volume of cases can slow down law enforcement’s response to your situation.

Last Updated on June 3, 2025

Today, roughly 53% of the world owns a smartphone, carrying a video camera with them everywhere they go. Our devices allow us to capture precious moments of our lives, but they can also open us up to online scams. Bad actors can steal, alter, and completely manufacture media that can be used to manipulate or blackmail their targets. The advancement of technology has made these schemes difficult to identify, but you can apply the information below to protect yourself from online video scams.

Types of Video Scams

Cybercriminals use videos in a number of ways. They may use a video of you — doctored or unaltered — as blackmail leverage and say they will share it with your close contacts. Or, they might post the scam video to YouTube and other video sharing platforms.

In some instances, they may use an AI-generated video to inspire you to carry out a certain action. Knowing the different types of video scams can help you plan your response.

Video Blackmail

You may receive a message online saying that the sender has obtained video of you doing something you’d rather not have the public see. They tell you they will delete the video if you pay them. However, if you refuse their request, your video will be plastered across the internet on sites like YouTube.

While not always, these messages are often part of mass-produced blackmail schemes targeting thousands of unsuspecting internet users. The perpetrators often get base-level information from data breaches and insert them Mad Libs-style into a generic script, hoping anyone will bite.

Deepfakes

AI is the hot topic of the technological world. While its use can be fun and beneficial, it can also enable cybercrime. Scammers can use deepfake technology to commit financial fraud, solicit private information, and even accuse people of crimes they never committed.

Recently, there have been numerous different large-scale scams that have utilized the tool in different ways. Deepfake celebrity endorsements have been running rampant on social media. Now, organized crime groups are creating augmented news reports that appear to depict their target committing heinous crimes to use as blackmail leverage.

Phishing

What better way to “prove” your stolen identity than to provide a video that appears to confirm it. With the aforementioned deepfake technology, scammers can create convincing videos to accompany their phishing attacks with as little as eight minutes and $11.

These schemes can even dupe high-up executives. In 2023, an employee at a multinational firm joined what he thought was a video conference with the CFO. In reality, it was a deepfake video – and the employee ended up transferring roughly $25 million to the scammers.

On another note, some phishing attacks target users of video streaming platforms, otherwise known as Amazon Prime video scams. In these schemes, scammers will set up malicious websites that attract searches such as “how to create Prime account” or “setting up Prime Video on my device”. When victims enter their credentials, the scammer gains access to their account information.

Hacked Webcam

One of the oldest and most popular video blackmail scams involves hacked webcams. While there are forms of malware that can truly give a hacker access to your webcam and the ability to record you, these assertions are often bluffs.

A popular version of this scam involves blackmail video and the perpetrator sending mass emails to unsuspecting targets. The emails allege that the sender hacked the victim’s webcam and recorded compromising videos. They say they will delete the video after the target pays. Truthfully, the hacker is falsely declaring to have videos and actually never accessed the target’s webcam.

Video Chat Scams

You may think that joining a video chat with an individual online would confirm their identity. However, advances in technology have enabled cybercriminals to forge video calls with prerecorded or AI-generated video feeds.

This is the case in a social media scam where perpetrators record a video of their victims and then doctor and reuse the video to target the victim’s friends. They use the victim’s likeness to ask for money over video calls. When friends join the video calls, they are also recorded by the criminal, and the video recording scam perpetuates.

Another popular video call scam targets marketplace messaging boards. Scammers will pretend to be an interested buyer and ask to move the conversation to an external platform to join a video call. From there, they will request that the seller share their screen, allowing them to steal their financial data.

Common Tactics Used by Video Scammers

• Fake or Spoofed Accounts: Scammers may use a completely fabricated identity or borrow one from a trusted entity while they acquire blackmail material.
• Social Engineering: Once they’ve initiated contact, cybercriminals will strategically manipulate their target emotionally. There are no lies they aren’t willing to tell you to get you to believe their story.
• Malware: Scammers may employ malicious software to track your keystrokes, access your webcam, and extract your data. This can enable them to obtain videos of you that can be used in blackmail scams.

How to Respond to an Online Video Scam

• Stay Calm: We know how stressful video scams can be, but you need to remain level-headed and approach the situation with speed and precision.
• Cut off Communication: You shouldn’t outright block the scammer. Instead, wait until after you’ve conducted an investigation, but don’t engage them any further.
• Collect Evidence: Take screenshots of any accounts that have contacted you, messages they’ve sent, and any other data that will help you reconstruct the timeline of events.
• Report the Scam: Inform law enforcement and the platform where the attack took place. This step is integral to the future safety of you and all other internet users.
• Contact Professionals: If you need help at any step of the way, you may want to consider the assistance of cyber security professionals like the team at Cyber Investigation Inc.

How Cyber Investigation Inc. Can Help You Deal with Video Scammers

At Cyber Investigation Inc., our team of experts know exactly what to do to combat blackmailers. We can analyze your devices for any malware or unauthorized access to determine if your system has actually been compromised.

Our proprietary tools and techniques allow us to analyze metadata and other digital trails left behind by your online interactions. Through this, we can determine the IP address, geolocation, and even the devices used to attack you.

If you believe your blackmailer has already disclosed videos of you, we can scour the internet to find any instances where they have been posted. This includes mainstream video platforms like YouTube as well as lesser-known dark web outlets.

We document our entire process from start to finish to ensure the chain of custody is maintained. This upholds the validity of your report and allows you to use it as evidence against your blackmailer in legal proceedings.

Staying Vigilant to Avoid Future Video Scammers

• Secure Your Accounts: Check your online accounts for any unauthorized login attempts and terminate any sessions which you don’t recognize as your own.
• Audit Your Online Presence: Take time to evaluate the content you share online and consider how it could be used against you by a blackmailer.
• Analyze Videos: While altered media can be convincing, you can often see through the façade by looking for details such as weird shadows and lighting, lip movement that doesn’t match the audio, and other abnormalities that almost appear to be a “glitch”.
• Verify Identities: Using the internet requires a zero-trust mindset. You should always confirm that the person you are speaking with is actually who they say they are by reverse image searching their photos, asking personal questions, and vetting their profiles.

And if you ever need help dealing with online video blackmail, Cyber Investigation Inc. is here. Don’t deal with this alone. Reach out today and speak with one of our specialists and begin your journey toward reclaiming your life.

Last Updated on May 27, 2025

When you send intimate pictures to someone, you place absolute trust in them to keep them private. That’s why it’s so devastating to be met with a message threatening to leak your nudes. But all is not lost, and you can take action to protect your reputation. You are not alone, and you shouldn’t respond as if you are. Use the resources at your disposal and take back your life.

What to Do If Someone is Blackmailing You with Nudes

Naturally, a sense of panic sets in when you come face-to-face with a threat like having your nudes released. You need to act swiftly, but taking the wrong action could make things worse and lead to your photos actually being published. Take a deep breath and collect yourself. Here’s what you should do if someone threatens to leak your pictures:

• Stay Calm and Do Not Pay: It may seem like the price they are asking is worth protecting your nudes from disclosure. However, giving in to their demands likely won’t end the threats and often perpetuates the attack.
• Preserve All Evidence: Document any usernames, phone numbers, and accounts that have contacted you. Take screenshots of any portions of your conversation that contain threatening messages to release your nudes and create an accurate timeline of the crime committed against you.
• Cut Off Communication: You may consider outright blocking the perpetrator. However, you should instead end the conversation while leaving their account unblocked until you’ve completed a proper investigation. Be cautious of any new accounts the attacker may create and heavily vet new friend requests.

Recognizing the Signs: Common Tactics Used When Blackmailing with Nudes

The greatest defense against any cybercriminal threat is to identify the red flags and prevent it before it starts. This is what you should look out for before threats to share your nudes are made:

• Fake Profiles: Perpetrators of nude blackmail often protect their anonymity by using manufactured profiles. They pose as attractive, successful, and trustworthy individuals and play the role of a potential romantic partner.
• Social Engineering: Blackmailers artificially facilitate trust using information they’ve scraped from your online identity. They may feign similar interests and hobbies to establish a base-level relationship.
• Love Bombing: Nude blackmailers build up to their requests for intimate content by bombarding their targets with compliments and declarations of love. Be cautious of any online connections who are overly romantic early in the conversation.
• Intimate Requests: This is the most obvious precursor of nude blackmail. If you’ve just met someone online and they begin pressuring you to disclose your private pictures, their intention is likely to threaten you with your nudes.

Who Should You Tell if You’re Getting Blackmailed with Nudes?

With the evidence you’ve collected, it’s now time to inform the appropriate authorities. This is important not just for your safety, but the collective security of all internet users.

Report to Law Enforcement

Begin by notifying your local precinct that you are being blackmailed with nudes. This may lead to results if the perpetrator is within close proximity to you. If not, it will still serve as valuable documentation for your case.

You should continue up to your national law enforcement agency if the situation requires. In the United States, the FBI is responsible for fielding reports of cybercrime through their IC3 task force.

If you feel uncomfortable identifying yourself, you can submit the case as an anonymous tip. Remember that law enforcement agents are professionals and will handle your case in a confidential manner – free of judgment.

Social Media and Messaging Apps

You should also inform the system administrator of the platform that you were contacted on. This can lead to the removal of their account that is threatening to disclose your private photos, which could help protect you and other users from future harassment.

Notify Trusted Contacts

Consider informing your close circle about your situation for a few reasons. First of all, if the blackmailer is threatening to share your nudes with them, this may help mitigate the damage by letting them know not to open any attachments from unknown senders.

Furthermore, you can use your experience to inform those you care about of the potential dangers of online interactions. Not only will you be improving the collective cybersecurity of your family and friends, but you are also allowing them to provide emotional support throughout your recovery.

Support Resources

There are numerous groups you can contact for emotional support and guidance as you navigate the turmoil of a private photo disclosure threat. These groups offer judgement-free, actionable advice on what to do when someone threatens to leak your nudes.

• StopNCII: In addition to taking down nudes through hash-based matching and running the Revenge Porn Helpline, StopNCII.org also provides educational material and resources for victims of NCII abuse.
• RAINN: As the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Helpline. They also spearhead the Speakers Bureau, a network of over 3,500 survivors who share their stories to help people in a similar situation.
• Cyber Civil Rights Initiative: CCRI offers educational material and a step-by-step guide for NCII abuse victims. They’ve trained various organizations on the proper handling of the crime, including the U.S. Department of Justice.
• National Center for Victims of Crime: NCVC operates VictimConnect, a referral helpline that helps victims understand their options and protections. It’s located in their Center for Victim and Survivor Services. The branch looks to enhance community and national response to crimes and promote safety, healing, and justice for victims.
• Social Media Support Groups: Victims of similar cybercrimes share their experiences in groups on social platforms to connect with others and share a commonwealth of knowledge. Groups like r/Stop_Cybercrime allow users to connect with others who have been through the same turmoil in an understanding environment.

Protecting Yourself During a Blackmail Threat

While you address the immediate threat to leak your nudes, you should also take time to address your current online practices. Implementing these practices can help you avoid similar situations of blackmail with nudes in the future:

• Audit Online Presence: Evaluate the content that you put out for the public to see. Are you oversharing on social media? Could your posts and pictures potentially give a cybercriminal precious data that could be used to blackmail or manipulate you?
• Secure Accounts: Check the user activity of your online profiles for any unauthorized login attempts. Update your passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever it is offered.
• Monitor for Disclosure: Scour the internet to see if your nudes have been disclosed anywhere. You can do this by performing a reverse image search of the pictures they are threatening you with.

Is Someone Blackmailing You with Your Nudes? Cyber Investigation Inc. Can Help You Fight Back

If you need help investigating your case, identifying your blackmailer, and preserving your reputation and online security, Cyber Investigation is here to help. We have been able to help thousands of victims fight back against online extortion with a 4.93-star rating.

We can assist you in preventing the disclosure of your nudes by:

• Tracking and Identifying Your Extortionist: Using advanced techniques such as IP tracing and metadata analysis, we can uncover the true identities behind anonymous online profiles. This includes real names, phone numbers, and even their geolocation.
• Content Removal and Release Prevention: Our experts will begin working to remove your content from the blackmailer’s possession and prevent your content from being disclosed. We can provide recorded evidence showcasing the complete deletion of your private photos from their system and identify and remove any that were publicized.

Why You Should Never Face Nude Blackmail Alone

Sextortion is on the rise and happens far more often than you might think. The NCMEC receives 812 cases of online sextortion each week. There are millions of people who have experienced someone threatening to make their private photos public. Likewise, there are numerous outlets that provide support to sextortion victims.

There have been great strides made recently in the battle against sextortion in regard to protections, counteraction efforts, and general awareness of the issue. At Cyber Investigation Inc., we foster this progress by helping our clients prevent the disclosure of their nudes and protect their private pictures.

If you’ve been targeted in a sextortion scheme, there is no time to waste. Reach out to our Sextortion Helpline today and start your road to recovery.

Last Updated on January 29, 2024

The rise of social media has brought numerous benefits, from fostering global connections to enabling instant communication. However, with these advantages come certain drawbacks, and one of the most alarming is the rise of cyber threats like blackmail. In this article will discuss Do Blackmailers Follow Through On Instagram.

Continue reading Do Blackmailers Follow Through On Instagram?

Last Updated on January 17, 2024

The rise of online blackmail has become a severe concern for many individuals who use social media platforms and instant messaging apps.

Blackmailers often exploit the trust and vulnerability of their victims, using tactics such as threatening to release sensitive information or images unless a demand is met. With billions of users worldwide and end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp has become a popular platform for these unscrupulous individuals.

Continue reading How To Stop Blackmail on WhatsApp

Last Updated on December 6, 2023

Blackmail, a term often used interchangeably with extortion, is a crime that many people have heard about, yet few truly understand. Simply put, blackmail occurs when one party compels or threatens another to deliver money or property under the threat of harm. This harm could be physical, reputational, or emotional. In this article, we delve into the legality of blackmail in New York, exploring the specific laws that govern it and the potential consequences for those convicted.

Continue reading Is Blackmail Illegal In New York?

Last Updated on December 6, 2023

Hey there, friend. It’s a tough spot you’ve found yourself in, and I want you to know that it’s okay to feel scared or upset. But remember, you’re not alone. Today, we’re going to walk through some practical steps you can take if you ever find yourself being blackmailed on Snapchat.

Continue reading What to do if you get blackmailed on Snapchat?

Last Updated on November 22, 2023

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over one billion monthly active users. It’s a place where people connect, share their lives, and explore new ideas. Unfortunately, like any other platform, Instagram is not immune to cyber attacks, and blackmail is one of them. If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you’re in a difficult situation and need help. In this blog post, we’ll explain what to do if you’re being blackmailed on Instagram.

Continue reading What to if i’m being blackmailed on Instagram?

Last Updated on November 22, 2023

Social media platforms are great tools for connecting with people, sharing stories, and keeping in touch with friends and family. However, there are risks involved, too, as there are people who use social media platforms to blackmail others. Instagram is one such platform where people can be blackmailed easily. It is necessary to have a clear understanding of what to do in such a situation to protect oneself. In this blog post, we will discuss the steps you can take if someone blackmails you on Instagram. These steps will help you to stay informed safe, and avoid being manipulated or exploited.

Continue reading What to Do If Someone Blackmails You On Instagram