Internet sextortion scams target thousands of individuals every year, and at Digital Investigations Inc., we are seeing a disturbing rise in scams specifically targeting active military service members. Military sextortion cases are on the rise because cybercriminals have found ways to exploit the unique vulnerabilities of those actively serving in the armed forces for financial gain.
Why Are Military Service Members Vulnerable to Sextortion Scams?
Members of the military who are on active deployments are at an increased vulnerability to sextortion due to four key factors. These include:
1. High-Pressure Jobs: The demands of military life can make service members more vulnerable to stress and distraction. With long hours, frequent relocations, and the constant pressure of their responsibilities, it can be easy for these personnel to approach relationships on different social applications and dating apps with divided attention.
2. Reliance on Digital Communications: Military personnel, particularly those deployed or working in high-stress environments, may have limited opportunities for social or romantic interaction outside of their immediate unit. This creates a reliance on digital communication, which scammers can exploit to quickly establish rapport and trust with their targets.
3. Exploitation of Reputation: For military personnel, reputation is everything. The fear of compromising explicit material, like that gathered by scammers in cases of military sextortion, can be a powerful tool for cybercriminals to ensure compliance with their demands.
4. Trained to Trust: Military service members are trained to trust. This trust can be a double-edged sword when dealing with online interactions, as cybercriminals rely on this when building their communications through fake profiles.
These four factors contribute to why service members, especially young men, are being targeted for military sextortion scams. This, along with the idea that military personnel have access to discretionary income, makes them prime targets for these types of scams.
How Does a Military Sextortion Scam Work
Military sextortion scams follow a similar method to standard sextortion scams, typically consisting of four phases: the initial introduction/friend request, messaging to build trust/desire, the request for intimate content, and the threat of exposure. As we expand on each of these phases below, remember that these tactics are associated with a crime, and the extortion of military personnel for any reason is punishable by law.
– Phase 1: The Introduction – In this phase, the blackmailer reaches out to their target using a fake profile. Often, these profiles use fake pictures of attractive individuals to entice the victim into accepting the friend request. If the platform allows, the blackmailer may include a message that
compliments the victim’s photos or profile to build initial trust or interest in accepting the request.
– Phase 2: Trust/Desire Building – Once the blackmailer is able to send direct messages through the social media or dating application, they will begin communicating with the target. Often, these cybercriminals use romantic or sexual language in the hopes of advancing to the next phase of their scam. During this phase, the blackmailer may request to move the conversation to another platform if the current app doesn’t support the exchange of more explicit images or content.
– Phase 3: The Request – At this stage, the blackmailer’s goal is to get intimate content that they can later use for the final phase. They may share fake images to build a sense of trust, engaging in what seems like an equivalent exchange of nude imagery or videos. Once the victim sends the content, the blackmailer moves the target to the final stage.
– Phase 4: The Threat – The final stage of the military sextortion scam occurs when the blackmailer threatens to expose the intimate content unless the victim pays them for their silence. To coerce the target, the blackmailer will often leverage knowledge of the victim’s contacts, threatening to send the content to these individuals unless the victim complies.
While this four-phase approach is relatively simple, it is used effectively by blackmailers worldwide to extort thousands of victims each year.
What are The Top Platforms Used By Scammers to Target Service Men.
The only requirement for an application to be a potential tool for military sextortion scams is for the platform to allow users to create accounts with unverified credentials. Whether or not the app allows the sharing of intimate images is not a reliable defense against sextortion. The following applications are listed based on Digital Investigations Inc.’s findings from 2020-2023*.
Social Media Applications:
– Facebook: As the top global social media platform, Facebook (1) and Facebook Messenger experience issues with sextortion. The ability to leverage a person’s associated friends is also what makes this platform a potential tool for sextortionists.
– Instagram: With the ability to share photos and videos, Instagram has become another effective tool for blackmail scams involving nudes.
– Snapchat: Snapchat is known for permitting users to send explicit content within the application, which creates opportunities for sextortion.
#2 Virtual Dating Applications:
– Grindr: The nature of the Grindr app and the behaviors it encourages among its user base create an environment where blackmailers can lure targets through anonymous profiles.
– Bumble: While Bumble does not allow users to send explicit content, blackmailers can still create active accounts through fake profiles.
– Tinder: Like Bumble, Tinder has taken steps to prevent the sharing of explicit images. However, blackmailers can still entice targets to take their more sexual conversations to other messaging platforms.
#3 Messaging Applications:
– WhatsApp: The WhatsApp messaging platform can be used by blackmailers to not only entrap their targets into sextortion scams but also to request payments for their continued silence.
– Google Hangouts: Like WhatsApp, Google Hangouts has been used as a channel for blackmailers to capture intimate messages from victims and to communicate during the extortion phase.
– Discord: While Discord is most popular among gamers, it has recently expanded into other communities due to its ability to facilitate text, voice, and video chats.
Can Active Military Members Get Help to Fight Sextortion?
There are resources available to active service members that are not available to the public. If you are a member of the military and are currently being threatened with sextortion or any other form of blackmail, you can notify the CCIU at [email protected] . Once reported to the CCIU, VWL will assist the victim in filing reports and working through potential next steps.
How Digital Investigations Inc. Helps Combat Military Sextortion.
At Digital Investigations Inc., our team of digital forensics experts works to effectively combat sextortion and other cybercrimes. Unlike other organizations, we employ the latest forensic techniques to safeguard your privacy and fight back against cybercriminals. Our approach to protecting our clients emphasizes strategic communication to remove the blackmailer’s anonymity and secure key information used to identify their locations and tools. By leveraging this information, we work to ensure that any information the blackmailer has obtained about our clients is deleted, ensuring their reputation remains unaffected by this criminal activity. For more information on how Digital Investigations Inc. works to mitigate your risk of exposure, you can contact our sextortion helpline at ________________ or reach out to a team member 24/7 via our chat service.
