Sextortion 101

Sextortion is a cybercrime where victims are coerced to share explicit content online, leading to threats of exposure or demands for payment to stop. As university students are highly active on social media and other digital platforms, we are more vulnerable to the rising threats of sextortion scams. 

Sextortion is when someone online demands sexual images, videos, or favours from another person by threatening to leak private sexual content or information. These threats can come from strangers online, acquaintances, intimate partners, or perpetrators making fake accounts and posing as someone else. Sometimes, the perpetrators have fake footage or images that they claim are of you.  The main goal of sextortion is to exert control and fear over someone else to obtain either more explicit content or money.  

Scammers use profile pictures of attractive people, usually around the same age of you or of the opposite sex, to pretend to be someone they’re not. They may even use pictures of people you know (e.g., a friend, colleague, or classmate) to gain your trust. 

 Here are some tell-tale signs to look out for:

• Excessive friendliness: the person you’re chatting to may be extremely friendly from the get-go, such as by bombarding you with excessive compliments. This behaviour, often known as “love bombing,” is a red flag
• Inconsistency with profile or language: the way the scammer acts may not match their profile. For instance, poorly written messages may originate from overseas scams. 
• Introduction of sexualised conversations: sextortion scams are based on threats and blackmail through sexual messages, media, or content. Be cautious when conversations get sexual early on and avoid sending images or videos. You can never be too sure of someone’s intentions or identity if you haven’t had that offline connection.
• Video calls/chats: sextortion scammers may try to gain your trust further by initiating video calls to show they are real. However, they then may say their webcam or microphone is not working for video calls/chats to avoid giving their true identity.   
• Pressuring you to make a fast decision: the person you’re chatting to with may threaten that you will lose something, or they will leak information or content to friends, family, or other social media channels if you do not follow their instructions immediately. This is an immediate sign to reach out to services, such as Netsafe and the Police, and not comply with the scammer’s demands.  

When someone shares or threatens to share intimate images or videos of you without your consent, it is valid to feel betrayed, embarrassed, scared, and angry. Remember that it is not your fault; scammers are experts at manipulating people

Top tips: 

• Avoid sending more images or videos, even if the scammer threatens you. If you have already given them money, don’t give them any more.  
• Save all online chats and/or take screenshots. This is important evidence for a police report.  
• Block and report the profile to the social media platform (e.g., Instagram, WhatsApp). Users are also able to request that the content be removed. 
• Ensure all your social media platforms are privateor deactivate them temporarily. It may also be a good time to change your passwords to a more secure one.  
• Refer to StopNCII website to see how to contact social media platforms to remove your images or content online.