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Revenge Porn and Sextortion

Revenge porn or sextortion is the intentional distribution or threat to distribute non-consensual sexual images or videos. Discover what steps you should take to fight back.

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The Basics of Revenge Porn and Sextortion

Revenge porn is the term used to describe the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos without the consent of the person pictured. The act is often motivated by a desire to humiliate, control or seek revenge against the individual depicted.

Sextortion is when someone threatens to distribute sexually explicit images or videos if the targeted victim does not provide the criminal with money, sexual favors or more sexual images/videos.

Common Tactics of Revenge Porn and Sextortion

There are a number of ways that these crimes are carried out. Sexually explicit images and videos may be posted online on websites or social media, shared via email or text message, or even distributed through the mail with out the person’s consent. In other cases, the perpetrator may threaten to post the images or videos unless the victim meets their demands, such as sending more explicit material or money. This is referred to as sextortion.

Effects of Revenge Porn and Sextortion

Revenge porn and sextortion can have serious and lasting consequences for the victim. It can damage their reputation, lead to job loss and cause psychological distress. Victims of revenge porn or sextortion may experience depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and social isolation. If left unchecked, these crimes can have a lasting impact on the victim’s mental and emotional health. In extreme cases, it has been linked to suicide.

Step 1:Recognize

Red Flags of Revenge Porn and Sextortion

There are a few red flags that may indicate someone is about to become a victim of revenge porn or sextortion. These include:

  • The person being asked to send explicit images or videos seems uncomfortable or hesitant
  • The person asking for the images or videos demands them in an aggressive or threatening manner
  • The person requesting the images or videos says they will post them online or share them with others if the victim does not comply

Step 2:Immediate Actions

If you have been a victim of revenge porn or sextortion, it is important to take action right away. Here are some steps to take:

  • If you or someone you know is currently in danger, call 911. Don’t wait!
  • Stop all communication with the harasser, it’s important to not respond.
  • Block the harasser from your phone, email and/or social media accounts.
  • Seek support from a trusted friend, family member or a professional counselor.
  • Keep a record of the dates, times, people involved and descriptions of when the incident occurred. You may need to provide this information when you file a report.
  • Save and print screenshots, emails and text messages as evidence.
  • Report the behavior, with the details, to the website or platform where the harassment took place.
  • File a police report.
  • Research and understand the Revenge Porn Laws in your state.
  • If you are concerned about your own safety or the safety of someone else involved in a dangerous relationship, Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 for help.

Step 3:Report

Reporting any type of cybercrime, including revenge porn or sextortion, is imperative to help others avoid being victimized. As a society, the more people that report online scams and fraud, the more national reporting data that is collected, and the better chance law enforcement has to catch the criminals and decrease cybercrime.

If you or someone you know is currently in danger from cyberstalking, harassment or revenge porn, call 911. Don’t wait!

Report to FBI

Step 4:Recover

Protect Yourself for the Future

Once you have gotten in touch with the appropriate organizations you can begin your process to healing. Working with a licensed counselor can help you on your journey. Additional suggestions include:

  1. Have open dialogue with your family about what happened.
  2. Create a safety plan for you and your family.
  3. Improve your online security by updating your privacy settings to restrict others from viewing your photos, locations and updates.

Take 5 Steps for Better Online Security

It’s important to strengthen your online security to help avoid all types of online scams. Take action to improve your digital posture by following these steps:

  1. Implement Multi Factor Authentication (MFA): Passwords are generally easy for scammers to crack, and even if you use strong passphrases, there’s still the possibility that a cybercriminal can obtain your passphrase in a data breach. Implementing MFA is a great way to maximize your security and ensure that you are the only one who can gain access to your accounts. MFA should be implemented on all accounts where it is available. Check your account’s security settings to see if it is something you can set up.
  2. Update Your Privacy Settings: Privacy settings allow you to control your personal information (name, address, phone number, date of birth, financial details, photos or videos, etc) and how that information is used. Review your privacy settings on all of your accounts including your social media accounts. Consider restricting who can see your friends list, contacts, photos and posts.
  3. Activate Automatic Updates: Automatic updates are a set of changes to an app, software or operating system that are automatically pushed by the developer to fix or improve it. Oftentimes, cybercriminals take advantage of security flaws to plant malicious software on your devices. By activating automatic updates, you will automatically patch security vulnerabilities to protect your data.
  4. Create Strong Passphrases: A strong passphrase is a string of unrelated words separated by hyphen, space, period, capitalized first letter or number. Use passphrases that are longer than 15 characters and include multiple words that do not have any obvious connection between them. The key to passphrases is randomness. Don’t repeat your passphrases between accounts and consider using a password manager to help you remember.
  5. Learn the Elements of a Phishing Attempt: Familiarize yourself with the elements of a phishing email. Phishing emails tend to include a sense of urgency and multiple grammar and spelling errors. If they are asking you to reveal personal information, be suspicious. If you get a strange email, try contacting the company another way to confirm they sent that email. If the email is suspicious, mark it as spam.

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