On October 31, senior BJP legislator from Karnataka’s Chitradurga G H Thippareddy acquired a video name on WhatsApp from an unknown quantity. Within the brief whereas that the decision lasted, the caller displayed the personal components of a lady to the MLA, screen-recorded the decision, and despatched the video to Thippareddy’s quantity.
This incident, which grabbed headlines in Karnataka, was among the many a number of circumstances of ‘sextortion’ being reported within the state. Extorting cash or different valuables is the least of issues in such circumstances, as victims have even chosen to finish their lives after falling prey to such traps.
A younger physician died by suicide in Bengaluru after falling prey to a ‘sextortion’ try by a 22-year-old from Bhopal in August 2021. The physician was coaxed into sharing his nude images by an individual he thought was a woman. The ‘woman’ turned out to be Sarthak Sathi and the physician had paid Sashi round Rs 67,000 earlier than ending his life out of concern of being humiliated in entrance of his relations, pals, and colleagues.
Even the police have been victims of ‘sextortion’. In September this 12 months, a lady referred to as Assistant Commissioner of Police (VVIP Safety) Vaijanath on WhatsApp and began stripping. He, as Thippareddy, was fast to disconnect the decision. Nevertheless, the girl who made the decision began sending messages demanding cash to maintain the video below wraps. Vaijnath filed a grievance with the cyber crime police station.
These crimes are additionally a part of the brand new class of crimes aided by expertise. Whereas most of those circumstances contain blackmailing victims with movies and images, others allegedly make use of deep-fakes to harass and extort victims, say the police.
What’s ‘sextortion’?
Sextortion is against the law the place the sufferer is blackmailed utilizing delicate or personal images or movies. Usually, the extorter manages to get a non-public picture or video of the sufferer and threatens to share it on social media platforms or with family and friends members to extort cash or different favours. There are situations the place they threaten to add movies on pornographic web sites.
There are numerous different ways employed by criminals. A number of the accused are males, who impersonate girls and share images of different girls with their victims and lure them to share theirs. As soon as the sufferer shares it, the extortion begins. Whereas Fb profiles have been focused beforehand, now Instagram has turn into a hub for ‘sextorters’, in keeping with the police.
In some circumstances, as that of Thippareddy, the sufferer will get a WhatsApp video name and the accused begins display recording it. Often, there are girls stripping on the different finish of the decision to entice the victims. However there are situations the place the caller’s display is clean and pictures or movies are superimposed later.
There are some organised gangs that are concerned in it, mentioned a police officer from the central division CEN police station. One of many gangs was busted in September 2021, when a workforce of the Felony Investigation Division (CID) probing a case registered in Bengaluru arrested three folks in Rajasthan allegedly concerned in ‘sextortion’. The police have been probing a case reported by a 45-year-old man who had befriended a lady on Fb with whom he had shared personal moments on a video name. Later, he was threatened and compelled to switch cash.
The details about the three accused was shared with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and an in depth evaluation established hyperlinks of the arrested to an astounding 3951 circumstances throughout the nation. Their probe confirmed one of many accused had a SIM card company retailer-ship and had activated greater than 5,000 SIM playing cards just for the aim of calling the victims and linked these playing cards with e-wallets of digital fee platforms.
It’s not simply unknown extorters, victims have been scammed by their former boyfriend or girlfriend who act out of anger or with vengeful motives.
In line with the cyber cell of the CID, there was a surge within the variety of situations the place engaging pretend profiles are created by criminals on social media, courting websites, matrimonial websites, and others. The scammers use them to entice and induce males to share their personal footage or movies, that are later used for extorting. Additionally they threaten to strategy the victims’ fast relations with these compromising images and movies.
How will you forestall ‘sextortion’?
Cautious of those developments, the Felony Investigation Division (CID) issued an advisory this 12 months with a number of directions to keep away from falling prey to ‘sextortion’.
The advisory mentioned:
– Individuals are suggested to not fall prey to such frauds and train warning whereas accepting any buddy request from an unknown particular person/s.
– To make use of privateness controls supplied by social media websites to keep away from any misuse of knowledge.
– In case of any situations, the place the demand for cash is made, incidents must be reported to jurisdictional Cyber Crime/ CEN Police Stations instantly.
– Individuals must be cautious if the particular person on the opposite aspect is attempting to develop intimacy.
– By no means share or enable anybody to view/seize any personal or intimate exercise on any platform.
– In case of victimisation, particulars about how the accused obtained in contact and the platform will assist in the investigation. Screenshots of the dialog/alleged profile on social media/SMS/e mail and many others and particulars of checking account(s), if any fee is already made, will even assist.