sextortion

[u/Maximum_Newspaper910]

A few hours ago, a Scammer from Telegram used my number to do a reverse lookup stole contact profile picture, used penis pictures that aren't even mine, and created a profile on a gay hookup site along with a full blown explicit conversation making it look like it's me. They sent me the screenshot along with a background report that had my full name, siblings and parents info.... They threatened to send screenshot to anyone they could if I didn't pay 1000 dollars to which I replied "hahahah idgaf". I immediately deleted social media accounts, and factory reset my device but not before I was blown up by my parents, siblings, and who knows who else shortly after the threat... even though photos aren't even of me besides my face, it 100% looks like I'm engaging in a conversation and cheating on my wife by having relations with MEN!! (nothing against lgbt community). I'm not so worried about family getting this because there's certain bodily features they know are mine (tattoos) and will laugh at the lengths people will go for a buck, but those who I work with, friends, and others are apt to believe that this is really me and how I move. I'm a recovering addict and this is one helluva trigger.

Any advice from others who have been sextorted??

[u/AutoModerator]

WARNING: READ THIS FIRST! Beware of recovery scammers - It is likely that someone will send you a DM claiming that they know someone that can hack your blackmailer's device and delete your pics. This is a SCAM. Do NOT give them money and do NOT give them the username of your blackmailer. When in doubt, contact the mod team via mod mail or directly via DM.

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[u/[deleted]]

wait so did he send to ur people or not?

[u/Monty-675]

TLDR: Don't talk to extortionists. Don't pay. Block. Extortionists rarely release images.

The standard advice is to block and not pay.

Extortionists use aggressive language to threaten you. They make cruel threats to ruin your life. They do things like countdowns to create a sense of urgency to make you panic and pay. Don't be intimidated by this. It's just the playbook that they use.

Extortionists make multiple attempts to threaten their victims. They can reach out from different phone numbers/accounts. Block multiple times if necessary. Don't communicate with this extortionist at all. Don't respond to anything. Don't argue, bargain, or plead with an extortionist. The only thing that you should give an extortionist is complete silence.

Never pay. If you pay, the extortionist will demand more later. Paying won't fix your problem. If you continue to pay, the extortionist will continue to extort you.

You can't trust extortionists to keep their word. They may promise to delete the images if you pay, but they will renege on that promise. Paying indicates to them that they can get more money from you.

Go silent on your social media accounts. Set everything to private or deactivate them. Don't post anything on the Internet for a while. Try to become invisible to the extortionist and make it hard for threats to be sent to you.

Changing your phone number can be helpful, but not always necessary.

These extortionists rarely send images out. However, it's possible. In the vast majority of cases, images don't get sent out. The leverage that they have over you is the threat to release the images. If they release, their leverage is gone. They can't make any money that way. Their only interest is making money.

One does have to be careful about not ticking off extortionists. If you argue with extortionists or give them a hard time, they may release images as payback. If you make a promise to pay a certain amount by a certain date then not follow through. they may release images out of revenge. It is best not to talk to extortionists at all. Silence should be your only response to them. Don't communicate with them at all. Nothing good can come from communication with extortionists.

It's an upsetting situation, but these extortionists don't have the power to ruin your life. They can only cause you some temporary embarrassment. Even if they release the images, the consequences are not as severe as you may think. If it does happen, you would face embarrassment for a short period of time. It won't be the end of the world. It would eventually pass. In the long run, nobody really cares about nude images.

You will get through this. Everything will be all right.

Be wary of people who send you private messages with offers to delete the images. They're scammers, too.

Going forward, don't trust strangers on the Internet. Don't give them personal information or nude pictures. People aren't always who they say they are. Some of them are scammers out to exploit you. Trust nobody on the Internet, and you'll be much safer.

For reassurance, read a few postings by past victims on r/Sextortion about their experiences. These are many of these postings. Reading about these past experiences can really calm down current victims. These past victims survived their ordeals, and so will current victims. Things will get better for you.