Sextortion refers to the category of sexual exploitation in which threatened release of sexual images or information is the means of coercion (Source: Wikipedia).
In recent months, we have been hired to assist clients who have made the mistake of hitting the send button and wishing there was some way to “get that photo back.” These cases normally involve men who for one reason or another engage in progressively suggestive text messaging or other digital communications with someone they believe to be an interested female, only later to find themselves paying to keep the communications from being circulated on the Internet or to friends and family members.
Typically, there is no actual intimate contact, and the request for money starts with a small loan sent through a coded Western Union payment. These amounts incrementally increase, as do the threats to expose the client’s indiscretions if the demands for payment are not met.
Federal and local law enforcement report an alarming increase in these criminal extortion cases, but find the victims unwilling to pursue criminal charges. More alarming are those cases where the victims are minors enticed in to actual sexual encounters with a pedophile who threaten them after posing as a peer interested in exchanging photos.
Successful investigations require the use of computer forensics, intelligence gathering, surveillance, and effective interviewing skills… and the greed of the suspect who will continue the sextortion until deterred.
Plan. Protect. Prosper.
Protus3 specializes in security system design, security consulting, corporate investigations and other investigative services. Partner with Protus3 and we will examine each situation to identify threats and develop solutions for your best outcome.