Introduction

How Sextortion Scammers Operate

• 1.Luring Victims:

  Fraudsters employ various tactics to entice users into sharing intimate content. This includes posting messages for video or audio chats, using fake accounts or profiles, and creating deceptive pages or ad campaigns to gain the trust of their targets.

• 2.Victimization Process :

  Users often fall prey to sextortion when they engage in compromising activities, such as posing nude or engaging in intimate interactions during video calls, accepting or sending friend requests to fake accounts, and sharing revealing pictures. The fraudsters record videos, take screenshots or morph the pictures to use them for blackmailing and extortion.

• 3.Channels Used for Trapping Victims:

  Sextortionists use various channels, such as messaging apps, dating apps, social media platforms, and porn sites to trap their victims. They manipulate conversations and exploit vulnerabilities to coerce individuals into compromising situations.

  It often begins innocently on dating apps where scammers create fake profiles to establish trust. They then seamlessly transition to messaging apps, building an emotional connection with their targets. This shift allows the fraudsters to manipulate conversations, gradually leading the victims into compromising situations. Eventually, these interactions escalate to explicit content sharing, leading to the blackmail and extortion phase of the scam.

Understanding the Modus Operandi