Targeted Internet Scams, sextortion, and harassment online: we explain, through the experiences of those affected, how they detected the attack, how we resolved it, and the legal, reputational, security repair costs, and psychological consequences in some cases.
Appearance on Televisió de Catalunya TV3 news
What is Sextortion?It is a form of sexual exploitation in which a person is blackmailed with an image or video of themselves nude or performing sexual acts, which has generally been previously shared through sexting. The victim is coerced into having sexual relations with someone, providing more erotic or pornographic images, money, or some other consideration, under the threat of disseminating the original images if they do not comply with the blackmailer’s demands.
Some Known CasesSpain
- In May 2010, the Basque Police arrested a 24-year-old man accused of blackmailing a woman he had met in a chat room, threatening to disseminate nude images of her that he had obtained by accessing her webcam.3
United States
- Jonathan Vance of Auburn, Alabama was sentenced to 18 years in prison in April 2010 after sending threatening messages on Facebook and MySpace to obtain nude photographs from over 50 women across three states.1
- Anthony Stancl of Wisconsin, 18, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in February 2010 after pretending to be a girl on Facebook to trick high school classmates into sending him nude photos via their mobile phones, which he later used to demand sex from them.1
- Luis Mijangos of California, 31, was arrested in June 2010, accused of extortion for threatening to disseminate nude photos he had found on computers he had illegally accessed. He demanded that the owners pose for more explicit sexual videos. 44 of his victims were under 18 years old.1 4
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