Someone Threatening to Post Video, Pics? Here's What to Do

Infopackets Reader Franco I. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

Someone is threatening to post a video of me on Facebook. A few weeks ago I was on Omegle (a chat website) and suddenly, a girl sent me a private message. After 30 minutes or so into the conversation, things started getting hot and heavy. That's when she requested we move over to Google Hangouts to continue. Once there, we went into video chat and she was already fully unclothed. She then asked me to participate. Not long after that, the video chat ended abruptly and that's when she made threats to ruin my life, my career, and my reputation if I didn't agree to pay thousands of dollars in Facebook blackmail. As proof of her threats, she's sent me screen captures of all my friends and family on Facebook and says if I don't pay up the video will go live. What I want to know is: can I block the user on Facebook? also, in regards to the threat - do Facebook blackmailers follow through? "

My response:

I've written a few articles on this already - see:

• Blackmailed on Google Hangouts? Here's What to Do
• Being Blackmailed for Money on Facebook? Here's What to Do

In short: the person you've been dealing with isn't a beautiful woman, but an overseas group of cyber criminals located in Ivory Coast, Africa, or the Philippines that specialize in sextortion scams (sex extortion). This scam is also known as Facebook blackmail, Google Hangouts blackmail, online romance scam, etc.

I'll answer your questions below.

Can I block a user on Facebook?

Yes you can block a user on Facebook, but that isn't going to stop them from reaching out to your family members and friends. The reason for this is two-fold.

Firstly, the scammers have already looked up all your family member and friends on Facebook (and other social media platforms) and copied the web links to their PC prior to engaging you.

Secondly, even if you block the user on Facebook, they have another fake Facebook account that can access your friends and family directly (using the web links I just mentioned).

Do Facebook blackmailers follow through?

Based on my experience in dealing with this scam, the answer is yes - some Facebook blackmailers do follow through.

I've already had this happen to a few clients, and eventually I was able to get their Facebook video and images blacklisted. Once blacklisted, this prevents them from being shared. This isn't always easy to do, takes time to mitigate, and depends on a number of circumstances.

That said, some blackmailers will simply move on if you block them - but there is no guarantee that this will happen. It depends on which gang of cyber criminals you're dealing with. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell if the threats are real or not until the images and videos have been shared.

Is Someone Threatening to Share Intimate Photos, Videos on Facebook?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the sextortion scams online have skyrocketed. Forbes.com reports that sextortion scammers are raking in $100,000 a month. This is big money and it's not going to go away any time soon.

The best advice I can give is: do not pay the scammers any money. If you do, they know you're good for it and will never stop asking fore more. Unfortunately, even if you decide not to pay the money, the scammers won't leave you alone. These scammers are relentless and vicious!

That's where I can help -

I know how to make the scammers go away. I have seven (7) years of experience with this and other scams online. If you decide to hire me, I will tell you exactly what to do, what to expect, and will mitigate your case for the best possible outcome depending on your circumstances.

I can also get your money back if you've already paid the scammers, but this depends on some circumstances. Please note that to mitigate a case, it will take anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks (depending); if you want my help, I will need to be paid for my time.

You can also use these free online resources:

• Facebook - How to Report Things
• Report Blackmail, Intimate Images or Threats to Share Intimate Images

I hope that helps!

About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.