Sextortion happens when a horny guy starts talking to what he thinks is a young woman online. This could be on any social media platform. Snapchat, Insta, Discord etc.
You suddenly get a friend request from a hot young woman who looks like a swimsuit model. You start chatting and flirting and the chat quickly turns sexual.
She sends you a nude photo and asks you to do the same.
Things escalate and she asks for a webcam chat.
Things escalate as she strips off naked and asks you to do the same and masturbate for her.
What you don’t know is there never was a young woman. Instead, the photos and the webcam feed is fake. Using AI, they have impersonated a young woman that looks and talks realistically.
The scammers now have the ammunition to blackmail you.
They threaten to release the photos and footage to your friends and family if you don’t pay them a bribe. Normally this is in cryptocurrency to avoid tracking.
This is a very easy trap to fall into due to the sperm fog that clouds the judgement of young guys.
What should you do?
First take a deep breath and calm down.
It may feel like it, but it’s not the end of the world.
Look at the Australian eSafety page for information on next steps.
- Do not send a reply to the scammers. This is what they want.
- Tell your parents. It’s hard but they will understand.
- Take screenshots of the conversation as evidence.
- Block the and delete the scammer account from your socials.
- Delete your social media accounts for 3 months.
- Only rejoin with a different number and email.
Nine times out of ten the scammers won’t do anything, and they’ll move on to their next target. They know they are committing a crime, so if there is no money on offer it’s not worth the risk of them following through with the threat.
Worst case scenario
Worst case, the scammers send your nudes to your friends and family. Sure, this can be slightly embarrassing but at the end of the day, everyone has a body and everyone gets horny, and everyone makes mistakes.
Laugh and brush it off. You have done nothing wrong in this scenario.
With the huge number of nudes on the internet, yours are a tiny splash in a vast ocean of naked bodies. People have the attention span of an insect these days and will soon forget.
What should you not do?
Never engage with the scammers.
This is what they want. As soon as you engage, they know they have you on the hook. They are pure scumbags and they do this scam everyday ruining lives.
Never, ever pay them the ransom. Even if it is small amount like $50.
Now they know you will pay so they will never stop harassing you for money. It starts at $100, then $500, then $5000.
You can’t win against these assholes.
Don’t let the shame or guilt stop you from telling your parents. If you think you are alone, you are more likely to do something drastic like harm yourself.
You are the victim here. This is a crime, and you need to make sure you are ok mentally.
If you can’t talk to your parents, talk to a counsellor or ring up lifeline, or tell your mates or a sibling.
Never face it alone. And don’t let these scumbags have the satisfaction of getting to you.
Nudes are a dime a dozen, there is nothing to be ashamed of with the human body. Everyone has one, everyone has done dumb stuff they regret.
This will blow over in a couple of months, and your life is back to normal.
Remember, it’s nothing.
Don't do something drastic like killing yourself. You have a life of adventures ahead of you. This is a tiny blip on your radar.
Have a laugh, forgive yourself, and move on.