Stopping Blackmail on Instagram

After months of building an intimate, long-distance relationship with someone you met on Instagram, you suddenly find that person threatening to send your explicit images and videos to all your followers. You don’t think this is real at first because there’s no way this could be happening to you. Then, you think about your family and friends on Instagram.
To make matters worse, the scammer adds you to a group chat that includes those closest to you. They threaten to send the images in the group chat if they aren’t paid in the next thirty seconds. The panic starts to set in and all you can think about is how you don’t want to disappoint your family and friends.

This situation is a reality for so many people who are targeted by blackmailers on Instagram. It may look hopeless, but there are many options that victims have to stop blackmail on Instagram and prevent it from happening in the first place. Before we get into the actionable advice, first we should understand who these blackmailers are.

Common Tactics Used by Blackmailers on Instagram

The best way to stop Instagram Blackmail is to look inside the mind of these criminals. What do they want? Why are they targeting you? What methods do they use? Answering these questions will allow you to more easily identify catfishing profiles. Let’s look at the most common blackmailing tactics.

Sextortion Scams and Compromising Photos

Sextortion is when a criminal creates a fake online account to lure unsuspecting victims into an intimate relationship. After explicit images shared by the victim, they threaten to expose the images publicly if they are not paid a certain amount.

Sextortionists are constantly messaging people to find targets and build fake relationships to gain their trust. However, it’s important to note that most blackmailers aren’t doing this to expose your non-consensual intimate images (NCII). The end goal for the criminal is to get money from you. Although the scammer could demand something other than money, they overwhelmingly seek financial compensation. Remember, complying with a sextortionist is always a bad decision and only worsens the situation.

Fake Accounts and Impersonation Scams

When it comes to blackmail on Instagram, most of them use catfishing profiles. They hide behind stolen images, generative AI, and deepfake technology. Sometimes, blackmailers will impersonate public figures from the likes of famous actors to micro-influencers. This is known as a celebrity impersonation scam and it’s common on Instagram.
Instagram blackmailers may also impersonate the authorities. Known as the law enforcement scam, the criminal uses the profile of a police officer to threaten victims to pay them or else they will face jail time. Real law enforcement will NEVER demand such a thing.

Stolen Information and Data Leaks

Blackmail on Instagram isn’t always done through catfishing. Scammers are also known to use phishing tactics in order to trick victims into unwittingly revealing their personal information. Once they have your data, they will use it as blackmail leverage and may even access your account. There are many different ways that scammers can hack your account. Here are some of the most common.

• Creating a fake profile as a brand or influencer, the blackmailer then messages their target with an enticing offer. The goal behind the message is for victims to click on the link and get infected with malware to collect the information on your computer.
• A hacker may also get into a trusted friend or family member’s Instagram account and will send you a phishing link in an unsuspecting message.
• You may receive an email about “suspicious activity” that looks like it’s from Instagram. It prompts you to sign into the platform. However, the website it directs you to is a convincing fake Instagram page made to collect your information.
• If you have a third-party app to use alongside Instagram, your login credentials could get exposed to hackers in a breach.
• Hackers can guess your password if it’s not secure by using brute force programming tools.

Immediate Steps to Take If You’re Being Blackmailed on Instagram

If you’re a victim of online blackmail, just know that you are not at fault. You are not naive, and nor are you the first person to be dealing with this. Thousands of people have been exactly where you are and have been able to make it out of your situation. No matter how dire it feels, there are steps you can take to stop Instagram blackmail.

• Do not engage further: Cease communication with the blackmailer immediately to avoid escalating the situation. If there is a deadline for payment, create a convincing excuse to buy time while you get help elsewhere.
• Do not pay the perpetrator: The scammer will try to pressure you into paying by scaring you that they will make good on their threat. However, paying them will only have them return to demand more.
• Assess the risk before blocking: Based on how damaging the release of the information would be, you may want to avoid blocking the perpetrator. They will know you blocked them and may release your information in retaliation. Instead of blocking the perpetrator, use Instagram’s built-in tools to anonymously report the account involved and get it removed.
• Take screenshots: Document all threats, messages, and any evidence of blackmail for reporting purposes.
• Secure your account: Protect your account from future hacking attempts by adjusting your privacy settings. Enabling 2FA, updating your log-in credentials, and removing personal information from you profile can improve your security.

Reporting Blackmail to Instagram and Authorities

One way to stop Instagram Blackmail is by reporting any catfishing profiles to the platform administrators. There is a compulsion to immediately block any accounts we believe are scammers but it’s important to report these accounts first to stop them from targeting anyone else.

Reporting the Incident to Instagram

Instagram’s reporting system is anonymous which means you should always report a blackmailer. They are likely messaging many different victims simultaneously and will not blame you if their account is taken down. The steps to report a profile is very simple. However, if you want to report a profile for catfishing you need to have the name of the Instagram account that the scammer is pretending to be.

Reporting a Catfish on Mobile

1. Go to their profile.
2. Look for the three horizontal dots in the top right corner
3. Select “Report”
4. Select “Pretending to be someone else”
5. Select “Me” or “Someone else”
6. If someone else, search for the account

Report a Catfish on Desktop

1. Go to their profile
2. Look for the three horizontal dots to the right of the profile name
3. Select “Report”
4. Then select “Report account”
5. Select “Pretending to be Someone else”
6. Select the option that best fits the circumstance.

Reporting a Blackmailer on Mobile

1. Go to their profile.
2. Look for the three horizontal dots in the top right corner.
3. Select “Report”
4. Select “Something else”
5. For sextortion, select “Nudity or sexual activity” then select the option that best fits your circumstance.
6. For other types of blackmail on Instagram, select “Scam or fraud”

Reporting a Blackmailer on Desktop

1. Go to their profile.
2. Look for the three horizontal dots to the right of the profile name
3. Select “Report”
4. Then select “Report account”
5. Select “It’s posting content that shouldn’t be on Instagram”
6. For sextortion, select “Nudity or sexual activity” then select the option that best fits your circumstance.
7. For other type of blackmail on Instagram, select “Scam or fraud”

In the case of sextortion, Instagram has specially trained representatives who will review any image reported to be a NCII. They also use photo matching technology to help prevent the image from being shared on Instagram, Facebook, or Messenger(1).

Don’t forget that you can check the status of your report in “Support Requests”. Just go to “Settings”, select “Help”, and then “Support Requests”.

Contacting Law Enforcement

For serious cases of blackmail like sextortion, victims should always report it to their law enforcement. File a report with your local police department and bring evidence of the blackmail so they can have all of the information. If your blackmailer is in the same state or someone you know, the police may be able to take action against the perpetrator.

Unfortunately, most online blackmailers are not located close to their victims and most police departments are bound by jurisdiction. This is why it’s always recommended to report a blackmail case to the FBI as well. The FBI has an Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is a division that tracks reports of cybercrime. They use these reports to work with Interpol and take action against cybercriminals internationally.

Seeking Professional Help

To get immediate help to stop Instagram Blackmail, digital forensic experts provide services that are difficult to find elsewhere. These specialists work to stop blackmail on Instagram and other platforms on a daily basis. They are trained to track down these scammers and get your sensitive content out of their hands before posting it online. Utilizing the latest technology, they can also quickly stop the damaging information from circulating over the internet.

If you are dealing with blackmail on Instagram, please reach out to our cybercrime experts. Our digital forensic specialists will work on your behalf to prevent any further action against you.

Preventing Future Blackmail Attempts on Instagram

Prevention is the best method to stop Instagram blackmail. Luckily, the platform provides many ways for users to protect themselves from catfishing profiles and any suspicious messages from strangers. Here are just a few ways you can protect yourself on Instagram.

• Change Privacy Settings: Set your account to private.
• Control your exposure: Restrict who can send you messages by going into “Message Requests” and selecting “Don’t Receive Requests” for “Others on Instagram”.
• Limit who can add you to a group chat: In “Message Requests”, select “Who can add you to group chats”. Change it to “Only People You Follow on Instagram”.
• Avoid clicking on any suspicious links from anyone: Even a link from close family or friends can be a trick to get your information. It’s common for scammers to use accounts they’ve hacked and contact the people that trust those accounts the most.
• Stay vigilant online: Be cautious with new online connections and avoid sharing personal or sensitive content with strangers.

The Psychological Impact of Online Blackmail and How to Cope

Being blackmailed is one of the scariest experiences you may ever have. The anxiety, fear, and stress are too overwhelming to handle alone. It’s imperative that you have someone to talk to about what you are going through. Someone who can support you in this distressing time. That person can be a family member, friend, counselor, or even police officer. There are also many organizations to turn to if you need advice or support. Here are a few to look into:

• StopNCII.org: This project was established by the Revenge Porn Hotline and uses innovative technology to prevent NCII abuse(2).
• CCRI (Cyber Civil Rights Initiative): A nonprofit that helps victims and survivors of image-based sexual abuse and the laws aimed at protecting them.
• NCMEC (National Center for Missing or Exploited Children): A nonprofit that provides assistance to others when they need help with a missing, exploited or recovered child.

Taking Control and Staying Safe on Instagram

Unfortunately, blackmail on Instagram isn’t going away anytime soon. Criminals have decided to turn social media into a dangerous place and, although there are many ways to combat the perpetrators, the best way to fight back is to avoid falling prey to the blackmailers altogether. Don’t let your guard down on any website and continue to educate yourself on the current tactics blackmailers use to find new victims. We may not be able to stop Instagram blackmail, but we can decrease its effectiveness by spreading awareness.

Sources:

• Instagram’s Official Guide on Handling Blackmai
• Stop Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse