Over 60,000 euros

Pongau man was blackmailed with intimate pictures

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A 20-year-old from Pongau has made a total of 528 transfers to unknown accounts since May 2022. During these two and a half years, the man met several women online. The intimate photos that the man sent to the supposed ladies were the material with which he was subsequently blackmailed...

For over two years, a man from Pongau sent money to unknown women he met in a chat room. All in all, the 20-year-old lost the impressive sum of 60,000 euros. Since May 2022, he has met several unknown female chat room users. The communication then shifted to other social media.

The ladies tempted the man from Pongau to take and send intimate photos of himself. The trap snapped shut: they then demanded money from the man so that the pictures would not be published. The 20-year-old complied with these requests and transferred money to various accounts. 

The man from Pongau also bought voucher cards and sent them to the unknown perpetrators. In total, the man communicated with 22 unknown women and made 528 transfers.

Tipps:

Sextortion – Was zu tun ist!

The Salzburg police and the Federal Ministry of the Interior inform: 

• Do not respond to the blackmailers' demands and do not pay

• Break off contact with the woman or the blackmailers and delete them from your friends list. Do not respond to any contact attempts.

• If the blackmailers have published image or video material, contact the platform operator and demand that it be deleted.

• Set up a Google Alert with your name. This will notify you of new photos and videos uploaded in your name.

• Save all evidence. This includes the image or video material used to blackmail you, the contact details of the chat partner and the blackmailer, all messages, transaction details and the like.

• File a complaint with the police.

• If you notice that the blackmail is causing you too much stress, talk to someone you trust about the incident or seek psychological support.

How can you protect yourself from sextortion?

• Do not accept friend requests and invitations on social networks from complete strangers. Block or ignore messages from strangers and report questionable requests to your internet service provider.
• Remember that you can always be filmed in video chats and adapt your actions accordingly.
• Always deactivate or tape over your webcam when you are not using it.
• Talk about this method of blackmail to your friends, acquaintances and family.
• Keep your social media accounts private.
• Share and publish content with caution. The more information you disclose, the more vulnerable you are to sextortion and other blackmail.
• Be especially careful if someone wants to communicate on a different platform than before.
• Pay attention to your security on the Internet. Use secure and private browsers that shield your digital identity and hide your online activities from prying eyes.
• Use strong passwords to protect your personal data.

What is sextortion? 
The word is made up of "sex" and the English word "extortion" and refers to a form of blackmail in which the perpetrator threatens the victim with the publication of nude photos or videos of the victim in order to force the victim to pay money, for example.