Do Sextortionists Follow Through on Instagram?

Do Sextortionists Follow Through on Instagram and What To Do? Read This Article To Learn More. You never thought it would happen to you – you thought you were smarter than that. 

When the conversation got a little suggestive, and they sent you their “personal” pictures, you decided to send some back and… 

The trap was already sprung. Now they’ve got your content, your list of followers, and have put out the threat of posting your intimate images for all of them to see if you don’t pay them off.

This is the all-too-familiar scenario many folks who have been victimized by Instagram sextortion face. One of the biggest questions we find clients ask is do sextortionists follow through on Instagram. We’re going to talk about that today.

There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to this topic regarding sextortion online. We’re going to demystify it for you.  

Do Sextortionists usually follow through?

If you’re already experiencing Instagram sextortion, you’ve likely already observed some of the habits of your typical sextortionists. They have likely sent you messages with a countdown to pay them. They have probably claimed that they will send your material to your entire list of your followers, friends, boss, etc.

According to some advice online, ignoring them may be a viable option.  If you just block them, they will go away of their own accord. There’s more so a 50/50 chance of this being true – we don’t recommend taking that risk.

If your initial point of contact with a sextortion scam is via Instagram, they already have your list of Instagram followers (and possibly more – see the previous link for more details). You could find yourself in a situation where, say, you don’t respond to a sextortionist’s message in time – they may send you a screen shot of them forming a message to a large group of your followers with your personal images.

This is a two-pronged attack, but can also be a bluff. From aspect, there’s the possibility that they will, in fact, send your pictures out if you don’t reply. 

The thing to note here is that they’re threatening to send it to a large group of your followers. The psychology of sextortionists suggest that this, then, is more likely a bluff.

What to Do When Someone blackmails you with photos?

A smart sextortionist knows that, by sending your content to the most people possible all at once, they limit themselves from using that against you further should they release the media.

That’s why it’s more worrisome to see this similar threat being composed with only a single follower in the sextortionists’ ‘preview’ image. Bear in mind, neither case necessarily is self-proving, and there is a chance sextortionists will follow through in either case, and again we do not recommend taking that risk on the whole.  

Do blackmailers follow through? The Naked Truth

With these factors in mind, does this answer the question of ‘do sextortionists follow through on Instagram?’ The answer is still ‘maybe’. We’ve personally seen, again, plenty of instances where they do – where they grow impatient, as in the example scenario above, or where a sextortion victim simply refuses to pay them or give in and things become released either via Instagram or on other platforms.

However, we must also acknowledge that the other possibility, where they disappear, is also possible. The answer is murky, as is often the case with online behavior. However, one thing that does seem clear is that they are opportunistic. If they see a way to get money out of someone or gain more leverage in a situation, they will take it.

For users, this means being vigilant and careful about who you send intimate content to; for businesses, it underscores the importance of having policies in place regarding revenge porn and sextortion threats.

HOW TO REPORT SEXTORTION

One of the things to remember when handling sextortionists, Instagram sextortion, or any kind of crime being perpetrated against you online, is that experienced there is help out there.

Here at Digital Forensics Corp, we see these kinds of situations dozens upon dozens of times a day.  Our expert have a high rate of success when it comes to stopping online sextortion.  We can safeguard clients against further harassment.

If you are a victim of sextortion give us a call at 1-888-206-3854.  Don’t wait set up a free consultation with one of our case managers . We can help you to mitigate the situation if you faced with:

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Contact Our Sextortion Helpline ASAP