In today’s digital world, online dating is very relevant in the lives of many individuals worldwide. Relationship fraud is one of the fastest growing crime types and is becoming a scary reality. It is a confidence trick, where the scammers will contact the victim through social media networks, dating sites, or other means, and will attempt to develop a deeper relationship towards a victim. They do not initially ask for money, rather they try to communicate with them to build trust.
Romance scams are considered to be an emotionally disturbing crime that impact victims far beyond economic losses.
A Real-World Example
The victim was scammed out by someone purporting to be an Army officer. This type of scam is also referred as Military Romance Scams. The scammer watched the activities of victims via online especially through their social channels, and reviewed the popularity and wealth of victim. The romance scammers were posing as US military and said they are on a “peacekeeping” mission. The scammer established a relationship as quickly as possible, endears himself to the victim, earned trust, and tried to get more and more money by blackmailing the victim. In the case, the victim shared personal photos and videos and has suffered economic losses.
Key Indicators of a Romance Scam
- Admit love quickly
- Claim to need money for emergencies
- Convince victims to leave the dating site and use personal email or instant messaging
- Funds transfers to international locations
- Large ATM withdrawals
Tips to Fight Back If Online Scammers Try To Blackmail You
- Make a note of the scammers details so they can be reported – Take screenshots of all correspondence the blackmailer sends to you: email, chats, etc
- Report their profiles to the sites you met them on or that they are using to contact you.
- Remove the video if it is uploaded to a sharing website
- Block the scammer
- Deactivate your account
- Report any blackmailing or threats to the police
How to Avoid Cyber Blackmailing
- Use strong passwords
- Implement two factor authentications
- Logout all the existing logged devices and accessed third party apps
- Lock down social media accounts
- Keep strong privacy settings on all social networks
- Do not post personal information online, including your home address, phone number and email address. If posted, remove sources of personal information
- Avoid phishing emails
- Never share your passwords with anyone even with trusted channels or person
Leaked Photos / Videos – How to Handle or Deal with these Blackmailing Attempts
If someone shared your intimate photos, videos, or messages that you kept private. Here are some tips that will aid you on how to handle this blackmail attempt.
- Make a note of the scammers details so they can be reported
- Take screenshots of all correspondence the blackmailer sends to you as evidence: email, chats, etc
- Report their profiles to the sites you met them on or that they are using to contact you.
- Remove the video if it is uploaded to a sharing website
- Do not confront the person (online or otherwise); and block the scammer
- Inform the authorities that you are being blackmailed.
- Place filters on your email account(s) to block their email address.
- Report any blackmailing or threats to the police as soon as possible
By implementing appropriate security measures, you can significantly reduce the possibility of a system being hacked into. Romance fraud is a serious crime. If you suspect romance fraud is taking place, then surely you must report it. Blackmail and fraud investigation services are aimed at helping you get your money back when you become a victim of these crimes.
Tags: Blackmailing, Case Study, Cyber Crime, Cyber Security Tips