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Online dating has always been fraught with danger, and just about every woman who has ever used Tinder has a story or two to tell.
The rules of online dating have certainly changed during the coronavirus pandemic, but the fact that there are all kinds of shady operators out there remains the same.
That’s just part of why you shouldn’t be sending explicit pictures to strangers, some of whom may be skilled ‘sextortionists’ looking to take you for a ride.
To be clear, that’s not a compliment.
This from TimesLIVE:
Cyber criminals, particularly “sextortionists”, are capitalising on the fact that many South Africans are online while staying at home. These criminals are duping people into sharing explicit material of themselves, and then threatening to expose them if money or sexual favours are not given.
Mike Bolhuis, of Specialised Security Services, said: “Especially within the confinement of the pandemic, these types of criminal activities have become extremely profitable…
Bolhuis said sextortion was a “low risk” way to make money or extort sexual favours from the victims.
“Many victims can easily be reached online. Most extortionists get away with the crime because the victims are often worried about reporting these offences to the police because they are embarrassed.”
Crooks use what is, by now, a rather familiar tactic, with images of attractive men and women used to lure the person into an error of judgement, “like posing for nude photographs or performing sexual acts in front of a webcam, through persuasion or threats”.
Nothing wrong with performing a sex act on a webcam, as long as you know the person on the other side, and you’re both consenting adults.
Bolhuis isn’t the only South Africans sounding the alarm:
Social media law expert Emma Sadleir has been inundated with complaints about sextortion during the lockdown.
“Everything is happening online. People are home and bored, so many are willing to send pictures,” said Sadleir.
In a report from last year on the rise of ‘sextortion’ in South Africa, security expert John McLoughlin said WhatsApp and email scams are two of the most popular.
John speaking to ITWeb below:
“The WhatsApp variety is very common; boy meets girl by swiping right,” he explains. “The match is made and introductory texts are exchanged. Almost immediately, the beautiful girl shares intimate pictures and asks for the same in return. There is an almost aggressive exchange to ensure that the unsuspecting victim sends compromising photos that include showing their face.”
The perpetrators then reveal their true intentions and threaten to put the risqué nudes on the Internet, being sure to name the victim’s family members and work colleagues with whom they intend to share the photos.
Using information gathered from the texting, they identify victims’ social media accounts and, in certain instances, use compromised details to access or hack their accounts. Once the bait is taken, they move quickly to reel in their prey.
The tone is menacing and becomes increasingly urgent as they intimidate with threats of exposure and public humiliation. The modus operandi is pretty much always the same: demands for money in order to delete victims’ photos, mostly through cryptocurrency, but locally it is usually by e-Wallet or untraceable money transfers performed at retail stores.
You can read more about how those scams operate on ITWeb.
I’m sure spending lockdown alone means that you have a great deal of spare time on your hands, but exercising caution and common sense when it comes to strangers you meet on the internet is more prudent than ever.
Hold your friends close (metaphorically speaking), and your nudes closer.
