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ByMary Anne Franks
April 19, 2024

How To Recover From Sextortion?

If you’ve been a victim of sextortion then you surely want to know how to recover from sextortion. This type of crime can affect many areas of your life from finance to your marriage. It’s important to find emotional support and support groups when you are going through this tough time.

You can seek legal advice or contact a company who can help you stop sextortion. Digital Investigation has what it takes to help you recover from this mess.

You recover from sextortion by: 

  1. Understanding the tactics of the perpetrators
  2. Taking immediate action to report them
  3. Securing all your financial accounts online
  4. Securing all your social media
  5. Reporting the crime
  6. Getting content removed
  7. Understanding sextortion laws in different regions of the world
  8. Recovering financially
  9. Prevention of the future
  10. Rebuilding and moving forward
  11. Seeking Support & Rebuilding

Recovering from sextortion can sometimes not be an easy task. It all depends on how bad the crime was and what area of your life it affected. Did it affect your online accounts? Did it affect you financially because you paid the sextortionists?  It’s a serious crime and you will need time to recover. You may need professional help from further harm and possibly coping strategies.

How To Recover From Sextortion

Tactics of Sextortionists

The sextortionists number one tactic they thrive off of is fear.  Everything they do goes back to fear.

  • They do this by manipulation and threats to get people to do what they want.
  • They operate by getting someone to share explicit images of themself by posing they are not. 
  • They are masters at online grooming and building trust with their victims.
  • They mainly put up fake profiles and start giving flattering compliments.
  • They may even build up the relationship over a few weeks or more.

Then the trick happens where they get the person to send something of sexual nature to them. Once they do this this is where the coercion, threats and manipulation begins. They are masters of social engineering.  

At this point they will use the emotions of shame and fear against you and tell you they are going to share your picture or video with your friends list on a platform like Facebook. They specifically look for younger people who do not want to be outed to their parents or LGBQT individuals who fear being outed to their families or friends.

Taking Immediate Action

If you are part of one of these scams online then you need to do a few things first to regain control.  

  1. Keep calm, you can’t make good decisions if you are not calm
  2. Save everything going on, all screenshots, communication and more
  3. Report them on the social media platform
  4. Do not pay them a dime
  5. Start Seeking professional help

You have to start with something to get the ball rolling. Use these tactics or sit down and write on paper what might be tactics for you. It’s just important to do something to start the healing process. It all depends on the crime committed who can help you the best.

If the crime was somewhere else in the world you may need a company that knows international blackmail laws.

Securing Your Financial Accounts

These days everything is done online and hackers can use their techniques to access many financial accounts. You have been stressed in this situation so you may have forgotten all you did.  Take the time right now to secure everything by:

  1. Changing all financial online passwords and by using strong passwords
  2. Monitor all accounts by either setting up services or watching daily
  3. Use two factor authentication
  4. Keep all your devices updated
  5. Not using public WIFI to access financial accounts
  6. Using account recovery modes available
  7. Freeze your credit if you are not using it
  8. Pick financial banks that use very secure methods

Secure All Your Social Media Accounts

Just like with financial accounts, take all the steps necessary to secure all your social media platforms.  Social is the heart of where sexual extortion starts, so be sure to change passwords and more so a blackmailer cannot get into any of your accounts. All of these online platforms have online safety features so be sure to use them. You need to keep all your social media accounts private.  

Reporting The Sextortion

It depends on where the perpetrator is operating out of who you call. Of course you can always report the crime to law enforcement or the FBI. However, you need help now. 

For instance, did you know there are blackmail and sextortion laws throughout the world? This is why you need a company who can go after the blackmailer and find out where they are located and report sextortion to their local police. Every country will have a local law enforcement agency who will care if there is a crime being committed.

Getting Your Content Removed

Getting your sexual explicit images removed from the web can be a hard task. Once many sexual images are out there they are out there for good on the internet. Some sextortion victims find this out the hard way. Of Course the best way was by not providing sexually explicit images in the first place.

But the good news is there are things you can do to have content removed from the web. It just depends on the platform involved. Of course there is nothing you can do about email. Once it’s sent, that’s it. 

Use the Report Feature on Social Media Platforms

Most of these platforms have a report feature on their site. Just write them a notice stating you would like the bad information taken down. If they do not take it down then send a takedown request or a cease and desist letter.  

Using the DMCA

If your content is copyrighted then you can use the digital millennium copyright act. All you have to do is use a WHOIS lookup and find who hosts the website, then just submit your request to their hosting provider. 

Using Reputation Management

Reputation management usually only works for companies but depending on your circumstance you may be able to use this service.     

Different Sextortion Laws in the World

This part should actually excite you about sextortion incidents. This may not be as hopeless as they seem when it comes to sexual exploitation. If you thought it would take a miracle to recover from sextortion because it happened in another country, then think again.  

The web has evolved and so have the laws throughout the world. Even child sexual abuse material is being judged throughout the world and the criminals caught.  
Digital Investigation can help even if your intimate images are being used against you online!

  • Report Sextortion Crime in the USA! – FBI.gov
  • Reporting Sextortion In other Countries

Recovering Financially

If you gave money to a sextortion scammer then you may need to recover financially. But, do not give any more money to an extortionist online.  One of the biggest crimes committed by them is going back for more and asking for more money.  

Do not money transfer to them any longer no matter what they say.  Get professional financial help if needed. 

Prevention for the Future

Here’s where you have learned. It’s not a shame if you learn from a mistake and never make it again.  Just remember now this time to not send any nude photo, explicit material in any private messages ever again.  The digital world is filled with online blackmail and you want to make sure you’re not falling victim ever again.

Collect evidence and all evidence related for the legal process. This will remind you to never fall for this type of scam ever again.    

Rebuilding & Support

You’ve been blackmailed online and you might seek support. Getting help and support can help you reclaim control over your life. You may be thinking ok, I sent a few explicit photos.

It’s important to have some self compassion at this time while rebuilding your life. Seek support from counselors if needed.   

Raising Awareness  

If you can help others, what would it be worth to you? Let others know your struggles so they don’t fall victim either. Most people just ignore sextortion but by letting others know you are bringing it to light. 

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ByMary Anne Franks
Published Updated

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