Online Blackmail and Harassment Investigations

Global Investigations specialise in online blackmail and harassment investigations. There has been a significant increase in cyber-harassment and bullying in the UK over the last few years.

Online harassment can be abusive, violent, threatening, racist, or explicit online content – this can range from identity theft to racial abuse, blackmail, and bullying.

Victims of online harassment often contact a private investigation firm like Global Investigations to provide them with the necessary evidence to stop these atrocious online harassment predicaments.

What Constitutes Blackmail in the UK?

Blackmail is a criminal offense. It’s an act of making unwarranted demands with menaces in order to attain personal gain or project loss on another person or people.

There are many forms of blackmail and online harassment. The perpetrators are very sophisticated in setting up fake profiles and email addresses. However, they are equally naïve in thinking that they cannot be found.

Where possible, once our investigators have established the perpetrator, our team will provide a number of options to be followed to ensure that the online harassment stops.

One option is to make contact with a specialist Solicitor who deals specifically with harassment cases, ensuring that victims are legally represented against the harasser.

Are You a Victim of Blackmail or Sextortion?

If you believe you are a victim of blackmail or sextortion or know someone who is, please call our friendly specialist team confidentially on 0208 287 7770.

Sextortion, also known as webcam blackmail, is a form of cybercrime where criminals in possession of sexually explicit content (images, video clips) threaten to share them with the victims’ friends and family if they don’t pay.

This can make the victims feel extremely ashamed and embarrassed thinking they can’t ask for help.

Please know that there is no shame in flirting or cybersex, and you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s safe to come forward with your problems.

Facebook Sextortion – How it Usually Works

Facebook is the most common platform where sextortion begins.

Criminals might befriend victims on Facebook. After some initial casual chatting where the individual will try to gain access to personal information such as your telephone number, they may suggest a video chat.

They often use an attractive individual to entice the victim to participate. These individuals may be part of the scam and also benefit financially, however, they may have also been coerced via threats.

Once chatting the conversation usually becomes of a sexual nature quite quickly. Once you have engaged in the act, it may be only a matter of minutes before the blackmailer sends a photo or short video of yourself and threatens to share the content unless payment is made.

The next steps are very important and although your initial knee-jerk reaction may be to send them the money. Don’t! Because if you do, in most cases the blackmail only continues.

What to Do If You Are a Victim of Blackmail or Sextortion?

If you’ve fallen victim to blackmail or sextortion, you need to prevent them from getting any further information about your identity and contain any exposure.

Get in touch today

Here is what you can do yourself immediately:

• Make all social media profiles private – this prevents the blackmailer from gaining any further information about your contacts and stall for time by telling them you are trying to get the money to pay.
• Do not pay – we do not suggest ever sending money to a blackmailer, as they inevitably ask for more and more once they know you are willing to pay. You are also at risk of giving them even more information. For example, if you pay by PayPal, you could be giving them an email address that further identifies you. If they want you to take a photo of the Western Union or MoneyGram transfer sheet, you will be giving them your real name and address.
• Do not block the blackmailer – if you block the blackmailer and they have contact information on another person in your life, they will make contact. By keeping communications going, you have control and the time to take further steps.
• Take stock of the information you have provided – they may say they have your partner’s email address or phone number, but they could be lying about what data they possess. Global Investigations have worked on several cases where the blackmailer did not have the information they said they did. Sometimes the blackmailers are professional fraudsters while others have been poorly organised and random chancers.

How Can We Help You?

If you have been a victim, Global Investigations can help to find the criminals and stop the harassment. We will help to prevent exposure while we assess the information you hold on the harasser or blackmailer.

Please /globalinvestigations/cyber-investigations/contact a member of our team on 0208 287 7770 to assess how we can help.

See also: Cyber Investigations