Sextortion Scams — A warning to young men on the internet
In recent weeks we have had to help out a number of young men who have been victims of grim so-called Sextortion scams.
The scam is targeted at all social media users, mainly men, and we want to raise awareness so that others can avoid this horrible crime. We have made this video, which we think sets the message out starkly.
The scammers have used Instagram to contact their victims. We want to thank Instagram for their help on this — they are clearly showing a commitment to dealing with scamming on their platform. As a result of our reports to Instagram they have not only closed down the accounts of the scammer but also connected accounts and they have blocked the device used on these scams. They are also reviewing 200+ accounts which appear to be connected to this operation. Hopefully some good comes from these young men’s awful experiences and hundreds of scam accounts will be deleted, thus protecting thousands of potential future victims.
Thank you Instagram.
