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Dodging Cupid’s Malicious Arrow: Sextortion and Romance Scams

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, as Valentine’s Day approaches, threat actors may attempt to prey on individuals seeking companionship or romance. The NJCCIC continues to receive reports of sextortion incidents in which victims are threatened with the release of compromising or sexually explicit photos or videos if they do not pay an extortion demand. Some sextortion threats are not credible, as threat actors are unable to provide proof of such photos or videos. However, there is an increase in reported sextortion incidents in which threat actors pretended to be trusting potential love interests. In several recent incidents, threat actors posed as attractive females to target their victims, build trust, and convince them to send compromising or sexually explicit photos or videos.

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Posted on

Beware of Sextortion and Romance Scams

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood  NJ, over the last several years, the NJCCIC reported on sextortion scams in which victims were threatened with the release of compromising or sexually explicit photos or videos of the victim if an extortion payment was not made. Threat actors may use social engineering tactics to lure their victims via email, text message, or direct messages on social media or dating apps, and they may pose as potential love interests to build trust, communicate their story, and profess their love in an attempt to convince their victims to divulge information or send money. Other campaigns included claims that the threat actors successfully compromised the victim’s computer or mobile device and were able to take compromising screenshots or recordings of the victim that were sexually explicit in nature, further threatening to release them if an extortion payment was not made. These campaigns may appear convincing, but these threats were not credible as threat actors were unable to provide proof of the compromised photos or videos.

Continue reading Beware of Sextortion and Romance Scams