Police Scotland North East Division continues to receive reports of Sextortion, commonly referred to as webcam blackmail. There has been a marked increase recently in people falling victim this crime, although you may not be directly effected, you may well have family members targeted. It is believed that the number of victims is significantly higher since most cases go unreported to Police. This may be due to potentially embarrassing consequences for the victim. 

What is Sextortion? 

‘Sextortion’ refers to a specific type of cyber-enabled crime in which victims are lured into sharing intimate images of themselves or even performing sexual acts in front of their webcam. Unbeknown to victims, their actions are recorded by criminals who then use the video footage in an attempt to blackmail them. Generally criminals request money (in some instances Bitcoin) and if demands are not met, these offenders threaten to upload the recording(s) to the internet and send them to the victims’ friends and family. 

Who is behind this crime? 

This type of crime can be carried out by lone individuals or organised crime groups who are mostly based overseas. For perpetrators it's a low risk way to make money, and they can reach a wide range of individuals easily online. The perpetrator(s) is gambling that enough people will respond so that their  

Remember, you’re most likely to become a target if you have visited certain internet sites where these criminals lie in wait for the unwary. 

What are the tactics used by perpetrators? 

Phishing Emails – You may receive an email which will include one of their passwords. Threats will then be made to publish intimate photos/videos unless some form of payment is made. 

Social Media – Many sextortion scams start with seemingly harmless encounters on social media or dating sites. Eventually, the perpetrator will coerce you into sending explicit images, getting naked on camera, or performing sexual acts while on camera. The resulting images and videos can then be held to ransom. 

Hacked Accounts – If you have sent explicit images/videos via social media or chat application, or have them stored on one of those platforms, someone could get their hands on them by hacking into your account. Perpetrators may use the account to share the images with friends, family and colleagues if you don’t comply with demands. 

What can you do to protect yourself? 

Sextortion may be hard to identify for some because it can take many forms, however, one common theme is that the victim has let their guard down. It is important to follow steps that will ensure you never find compromising photos or videos of yourself on the internet; 

Cover Cameras – When you’re not using the webcam on your computer, cover it. 

Avoid uploading embarrassing photos – Never store compromising photos of yourself to locations that are commonly targeted by hackers. 

Use common sense when online dating – Never trust an online dating profile. Use caution with what pictures/videos you send anyone you’ve met on an online dating website. 

Use common sense when dating – Don’t send compromising photos of yourself to anyone at any point in the relationship. If you do, no matter how much you trust them, there’s always a risk those images could appear on the internet. 

Profile photos may not be genuine – Performing a reverse image search on a search engine can find photos that have been taken from somewhere, or someone else. 

Advice if you become a victim of Sextortion

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sextortion, don’t feel embarrassed, help and support is available. 

Contact local police immediately. The police will take your case seriously, will deal with it in confidence and will not judge you for being in this situation. 

Don't communicate further with the criminals. Take screen shots of all your communication. If they contacted you via Social Media, suspend your account (but don’t delete it) and use the online reporting process to report the matter to Skype, YouTube etc. to have any video blocked and to set up an alert in case the video resurfaces. Deactivating your account temporarily rather than shutting it down will mean the data are preserved and will help police to collect evidence. Also, keep an eye on all the accounts which you might have linked in case the criminals try to contact you via one of those. If you were contacted by email, you can forward the email to the NCSC's Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) on report@phishing.gov.uk, and then delete it. 

Don't pay. Many victims who have paid have continued to get more demands for higher amounts of money. In some cases, even when the demands have been met the offenders will still go on to post the explicit videos. If you have already paid, check to see if the money has been collected. If it has, and if you are able, then make a note of where it was collected from. If it hasn't, then you can cancel the payment - and the sooner you do that the better. 

Preserve evidence. Make a note of all details provided by the offenders, for example; the email address, number or social media account that you have been contacted from; the Western Union or MoneyGram Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN); any bank account details; any photos/videos that were sent, etc. 

Secure your accounts. Sometimes they will include your password in the correspondence to make it seem more legitimate. They have probably discovered this from a previous data breach. You can check if your account has been compromised by visiting https://haveibeenpwned.com/. You should update any passwords mentioned in the correspondence. We recommend you create a strong password using three random words. Further information can be found here Cyber Aware - NCSC.GOV.UK.

Block and report. Report them to the platform they have contacted you on and block the individual on the platform/ in your contacts. 

Don’t panic. It can be a very distressing situation for some people but there is lots of help, advice and guidance out there. You are not alone.

Further help and support 

If this has happened to you or someone you know please talk to a family member, friend, colleague or line-manager that you trust. It may feel like there is no way out, but there are professionals who can help you. Please check out our useful links section with more support channels available along with guidance and links to trusted partner agencies. 

Links 

Support and Wellbeing: 

Samaritans – A free, confidential emotional support service that is available 24/7 365 days a year for anyone in the UK and Ireland. 

Breathing Space - A free, confidential service for anyone in Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety. Has a helpline and a webchat, see the website for times available. 

PAPYRUS - provides confidential advice and support and works to prevent young suicide in the UK. 

CALM – a campaign to try to reduce suicide rates, particularly in men. Has a helpline and webchat available 5pm – midnight, 365 days a year. 

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Police Scotland's North East Division covers rural and urban areas in Moray, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City.  The division has five territorial command areas which have their own dedicated Area Commander, who is responsible for the daily policing function.  Each command area is served by a number of community policing teams whose activities are built around the needs of the local community.  These teams respond to local calls and look for long term solutions to key issues.  They are assisted by the division's Crime Reduction Unit who deliver against Force and local priorities in a number of areas, including physical and social crime prevention, supporting and enhancing community engagement and creating and sustaining strong and effective partnership working.