Sextortion cases are carried out by criminals who follow sophisticated scripts designed to isolate victims and make them feel helpless. The scam is a particular threat to internet users who are unaware of sextortion and the tactics used to entice victims. The best way to protect yourself from sextortion is to understand the scam and learn from real-world sextortion cases. Fortunately, with the right knowledge, you will be able to spot the warning signs of sextortion long before a criminal can lure you into their trap.
Types of Sextortion to Watch Out For
While it is easy to assume that sextortion only happens to those who engage with scammers online, the truth is far more sinister. We have seen several real-life cases where the victim was targeted not because they were engaging with strangers online, but because they simply had an online presence. In today’s digital world, every internet user needs to be aware of what sextortion is and all the different forms it can take.
Traditional Financial Sextortion
This is when a criminal uses a false online persona, commonly on social media or dating apps, to lure unsuspecting users into a fraudulent relationship. Once enough trust is built, they trick the victim into sharing sexually intimate images and threaten to expose the victim’s content unless they pay a certain amount of money.
Email-Based Sextortion
Criminals using these scams typically don’t bother to build relationships with their victims. Instead, they use contact information found in data breaches to immediately send a sextortion threat in an email. The criminals will often make empty claims that they’ve hacked into the victim’s computer, capturing sexually explicit footage recorded from the victim’s webcam.
The “Age Play” Trap
A criminal will present themselves online as a young adult interested in an unsuspecting user, commonly an older adult. After building a relationship with their target, they progress into sexual intimacy where explicit images are exchanged. However, this is when the criminal will falsely inform the target that they are actually a minor while using the same fake persona or presenting themselves as the parent. Next, the criminal will threaten to report you to the police for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) unless you pay them.
Sexual Deepfakes
This is a new type of scam that has emerged with the development of AI. Sextortionists will use harmless images on social media to create convincing nudes using deepfake technology. They may superimpose a victim’s face onto sexually explicit content or use generative AI to completely manufacture the fakes. Using these fabricated nudes, the criminal will threaten to expose the victim if they don’t comply with their demands. Sexual deepfakes are commonly used against famous individuals, such as Taylor Swift and Scarlett Johansson.
Sextortion vs Sexploitation
Sextortion and sexploitation are used interchangeably, but they describe two different forms of extortion. Similar to sextortion, sexploitation begins when a person or group threatens to release a victim’s explicit content publicly unless their demands are met. However, the demands in sexploitation are specifically for more sexual content or favors. The contrast in demands highlights the different motives of the crimes. Sextortionists are typically financially motivated, while perpetrators of sexploitation may be attracted to the victim and attempting to please their personal desires.
Real Sextortion Stories: Documented Cases
Going through sextortion may feel isolating, but there are thousands of cases of sextortion every year. However, you don’t have to take our word for it. These real sextortion stories are examples of how other victims have dealt with sextortion and the tactics criminals used to target them.
A Political Sextortion Case: A British Lawmaker’s Resignation
Prominent Member of Parliament William Wragg made an announcement that he had sent the personal numbers of several other members to a man extorting him on Grindr. The criminal threatened to expose compromising content of Wragg and demanded the numbers of his colleagues. Wragg resigned shortly after the announcement, and the scam resulted in at least 12 men in political circles receiving suspicious messages.
This real sextortion story is a perfect example that anyone can be a victim, from everyday people to famous politicians and public figures. The sextortion case also demonstrates that compliance is not an effective deterrent against cybercriminals.
Ohio Resident Targeted by Sextortion Scam Email
A resident of Bedford, Ohio received a threatening email from someone who claimed to have installed malware on their device. The sender alleged that the malware provided access to the device’s camera and microphone, which was then used to secretly record the resident while they were watching adult content.
The email offered the victim two choices: pay the scammer $2K in Bitcoin to keep the footage private or ignore the email and risk the footage being sent to all their contacts. The email also included an image of the resident’s house — taken from Google Images — along with the victim’s supposed phone number and address. The scammer used personal information to make the threat feel more credible and legitimate.
However, the claims were, of course, all false and an attempt to steal money from the victim. Sextortionists tend to send these types of emails to a large group of unsuspecting targets, hoping that the claims resonate with someone’s personal circumstances.
You should always assess the legitimacy of the threat during a sextortion incident. It’s a common tactic for cybercriminals to falsely claim to possess something incriminating about you to trick you into complying with their demands.
An Example of the “Age Play” Trap
Another real sextortion story demonstrates how the “age play” trap works. In 2023, 35-year-old Glenn Daeward Boyd posed as a young woman on a dating app and lured a 22-year-old man from Michigan into a relationship. After two days of messaging, Boyd sent an explicit image under this false persona to the victim.
Then, the criminal “confessed” to being a minor. Boyd then posed as the minor’s grandparents and threatened to expose that the victim engaged with child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to the police and his community. Unfortunately, the victim’s story ended in tragedy as a result of the distressing threats.
In the digital age, you should familiarize yourself with the signs of catfishing. These scammers are typically only interested in money and luring victims into a trap. They will progress a relationship quickly in a way that feels inauthentic and create constant excuses to avoid meeting face to face.
Another red flag can be found on their profile. Catfish accounts often have images and information that doesn’t align with what they reveal in conversation. Lastly, in an “age play” trap, it’s important to remember that there are no parents or police officers. There is simply a criminal with an elaborate scheme.
Sextortion Deepfakes Weaponized Against a Meteorologist
Bree Smith was a familiar face in Nashville as the local meteorologist. However, her career was derailed after battling sextortion threats for months. Initially, Smith received an email with sexual deepfakes included and a threat to send the content to anyone who may recognize her.
The threats and deepfakes continued to multiply along with fake accounts posing as her on social media. Eventually, she decided to step down from her position to protect her privacy. This real sextortion story demonstrates the new danger of sexual deepfakes amid rapidly developing technology.
A Disturbing Sexploitation Incident
Michael Frito, a man from California, is charged with blackmailing over 350 women into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos. Frito allegedly created fake social media profiles to befriend women and convince them to send him intimate content. Once he had the content, he would threaten to share it with their friends and family unless they sent him more explicit material.
Frito faces multiple charges for his reprehensible acts, including extortion, cyber stalking, and possession of child pornography. This case is a sobering reminder that all online users should be careful when sharing personal information online.
The Devastating Impact of Sexploitation and Cyberbullying
A young woman named Amanda Todd was just 15 years old when she met a stranger on Facebook, and her life changed forever. Her story began on a video call with the strange man when she was coerced into flashing the camera. The criminal took the screenshots and used them to blackmail her. He threatened to share the images with her family, friends, and classmates if she did not continue to send even more revealing photos and videos. Todd refused but this didn’t stop the attacker. For years, Todd endured harassment and bullying from this assailant before ultimately taking her own life.
The devastating and long-lasting effects of sexploitation and cyberbullying cannot be overstated. Her story should serve as a reminder of just how far some criminals will go to harass potential victims and to always be vigilant of strangers online.
Lessons Learned: Insights from Real Sextortion Cases
These real-life cases reveal the potentially devastating effects of sextortion and sexploitation. Anyone can fall victim to these crimes. They also demonstrate how overwhelming it can be to go through something like this alone. We always recommend asking for help when being blackmailed. Local law enforcement is a valuable resource that victims can turn to. However, victims can also confide in a trusted friend, family member, or counselor for emotional support.
Real Sextortion Solutions: Where Victims can Turn for Help
In sextortion cases like these, victims can work with a cybersecurity expert to identify the culprit responsible. Criminals often hide behind online anonymity to perform cybercrimes without being held accountable. However, law enforcement and private cybersecurity firms can trace the digital footprint of the non-consensual intimate image abuse, discovering the geolocation and original device used to commit the crime. They can even unmask the identity of the perpetrator and leave them vulnerable to future legal action.
If you need help with your sextortion case and you want a team of professionals to work on your behalf, turn to Digital Forensic Corp. We have cybersecurity experts who are committed to protecting sextortion victims and targeting cybercriminals where it hurts most — their anonymity. Contact us today for a free consultation.
