Sextortion cases on rise in state

Sextortion has become a major weapon for cyber fraudsters. They target men using fake social media accounts of women. While these profiles seem harmless at first, the victims soon find themselves trapped, as the fraudsters start with a friendly conversation, but soon start blackmailing them. Such cases are being reported frequently in the state.

As per the Himachal Pradesh Police’s cyber cell, most of the cases registered are either of sextortion or digital arrest. Police officials stated that organised gangs were running such accounts and had ruined many lives. The next target could be anyone who engages carelessly. Although the chat or video call may appear to be with a woman, investigations have revealed that in many cases, these calls do not involve a woman at all and men are the ones operating behind the scenes, using software and filters to manipulate their identity.

The cops say that several gangs are operating across North India, luring individuals with explicit video conversations and later demanding money to prevent the video or screenshots from being leaked publicly. To make matters worse, most of the victims avoid approaching the police out of fear of being humiliated and end up paying enormous amounts to the scammers.

The scammers start by finding their target using data, on the user’s interests, collected from social media handles. Most of the victims are middle-aged and financially stable men. The scammers then contact the victim and initiate a conversation. Along the conversation, the scammers gain the trust of the victim, further luring them into private video calls. Even if the victim does not participate in explicit behaviour, images and videos are morphed to make it appear as though they did. The victim is then blackmailed with threats of sharing the content with their kin and friends.

In most cases, scammers continue to extort money from the victim even after they make the initial payment, often beginning with smaller amounts, later turning into larger sums.

The police have advised residents to remain vigilant and to immediately report such incidents via the toll free cyber crime helpline number 1930 to ensure quick action on the complaint. Residents have also been advised not to make payments to unknown callers, and to keep their financial and personal details secret.