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Let me preface with I knew it was a bot or scam from the start but I thought I could string them along for fun without sending a directly explicit picture because I didn’t realize that could still be terrible.
I’m going to copy paste my situation explained in the fbi 3C form I filled out.
“A scammer posing as a woman my age started messaging me on Instagram saying they were bored and just looking to chat. The conversation quickly went into vanish mode so chats would be deleted and screenshots would be notified. I had a feeling something was off at the time but they were sending me nude photos and videos and I sent them back one photo with just my face, one of me in the mirror with shorts on, and a photo of my lower body without pants with my arm covering my private area. After more messaging where I they were getting upset for not directly sending explicit photos and me calling them out, I sent a final image of me giving them the middle finger with text saying "fuck scammers". (They kept denying and asked to FaceTime so wanted my number)They then put in a link of a phone number to FaceTime them on and when I copied the link this gave them my number where they started messaging me demanding ransom for the photos not to be released to my friends family and school. I did not give them money and don't intend to but told them I have to get cash into my bank account. I have screen shots of the iMessage and some of the chat from Instagram”
They also called several times to which I didn’t answer. On top of this they sent a telegram screenshot or a draft in some messaging app saying they’re gonna report me to the government and the draft had a no face dick pic which I never took. This was last night, today they sent me a message to get my attention, called again, texted all caps saying I’m not picking up then sent angry emojis. To which I just blocked. I was on the phone last night with a PI firm who gave me a lot of info but I’m not in the best position to pay for their service. Something he said that I can’t shake is he said they could photoshop and doctor the photos I sent with ai to make it all worse. From what I’ve heard from a sextortion attorney firm, a big amount of these scammers don’t follow through with their threats because they lose their leverage but I still don’t think blocking them and waiting will be enough for now. Any advice? Is posting this in itself compromising?
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u/i-love-chonkthetiger - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it.
New users beware:
Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private: advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
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For the record, this is exactly why this forum doesn't advocate people "stringing them along" or "wasting the scammer's time". There's absolutely nothing good that comes from it and you open yourself up to things like this.
It's still a standard !sextortion scam and the usual advice applies. Don't pay, continue to block them, don't talk to them anymore--not one word. They'll get bored and move on eventually, but as long as you continue to message them, they'll think they have a chance. You're correct that they rarely follow through on their threats, so while it is stressful, the odds are definitely on your side.
Hi u/ScientificFlamingo, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Sextortion scam.
This scam occurs when you meet a woman/man on dating service/social media site/forum/wherever and they ask you to go on Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram, or another messaging system. They will ask you to exchange naked pictures, and they will usually ask you to include your face in the pictures. They will then threaten to reveal the pictures to your family/friends if you do not pay them. The best thing to do in this situation is block the scammer and go private in your socials for a while. Paying the scammer will not make them back off, and just tells them that it is worth their time to continue threatening you.
If you fell for this scam, we recommend you join the sextortion subreddit and follow the recommendations of their sticky post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sextortion/comments/n4yorq/new_victims_please_read_first/
Also beware of recovery scammers suggesting you should hire a hacker that can help you retrieve the photos or get back at the extorter. They can't, it's a trick to make you lose more money.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Yea I’m learning that now the hard way. I’ve seen insta follow requests where they seem like bots/scams for years and this was the first time I requested back instead just getting another follower and moving on I don’t mean to be invasive but would u mind me sending some of the dm ss for your thoughts or is that against the rules?
Dude, it's a scam. I can tell you without seeing the DMs that it's a scam.
Pull back on the throttle here, it's all fake. You're just spinning your wheels and wasting money. Just block and ignore and move forward.
Asking for DMs is against the forum rules. If you have any questions, please post them in public and any number of people will be able to help you, but I can guarantee any random IG follow request that feels like a bot/scam to you is definitely going to be a bot/scam. All of them.
Block delete and ignore. You're pissing away your money paying for attorneys and private investigators. !sextortion check out the sub reddit for it too.
Hi u/Flaky_Law2653, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Sextortion scam.
This scam occurs when you meet a woman/man on dating service/social media site/forum/wherever and they ask you to go on Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram, or another messaging system. They will ask you to exchange naked pictures, and they will usually ask you to include your face in the pictures. They will then threaten to reveal the pictures to your family/friends if you do not pay them. The best thing to do in this situation is block the scammer and go private in your socials for a while. Paying the scammer will not make them back off, and just tells them that it is worth their time to continue threatening you.
If you fell for this scam, we recommend you join the sextortion subreddit and follow the recommendations of their sticky post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sextortion/comments/n4yorq/new_victims_please_read_first/
Also beware of recovery scammers suggesting you should hire a hacker that can help you retrieve the photos or get back at the extorter. They can't, it's a trick to make you lose more money.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.