Sextortion

May 3, 2019

Pasco County Woman Hacked Man’s Social Media in Sextortion Attempt

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A Florida woman hacked into a man’s social media accounts and then “maliciously posted” nude photos of him, according to officials.

The 24-year-old was arrested Saturday in Port Richey after she demanded the unidentified give her money to take down the X-rated content, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said.

Using the man’s old phone, the woman shared the nudes to his own social media profiles and changed his passwords, preventing him from deactivating the accounts, according to reports.

The woman allegedly sent the man a screenshot of a post she had not yet made public and then demanded the man give her money to “stop her actions,” officials said.

When someone posts unauthorized and non-consensual intimate images of you with the intent to embarrass, defame, ridicule or harass you, they are committing the act of revenge porn or sextortion. These malicious actions are a brutal means by which another person attempts to manipulate, humiliate, degrade, defame and destroy you. Our Florida Sextortion Attorneys at Whittel & Melton want you to know that you have done nothing wrong. You do not deserve to be tormented online and we can help you through this difficult time.

February 9, 2019

Amazon CEO Accuses National Enquirer of Sextortion

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said Thursday that he was the target of an extortion and blackmail effort by the National Enquirer, which he accused of threatening to publish intimate pictures of him unless he backed off an investigation of the tabloid.

Bezos said the Enquirer and its parent company, American Media Inc., made the threat after he began investigating how the tabloid obtained text messages that revealed his relationship with a former TV anchor.

Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, wrote that the Enquirer wanted him to make a false public statement that he and his security consultant “have no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI’s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces.”

Bezos declined to do so.

Instead, he published what he said were emails from Enquirer executives to a lawyer representing his security consultant. In one, a top Enquirer editor appears to suggest that the tabloid would publish a series of photos of Bezos and the TV anchor, some of them salacious, if AMI’s terms weren’t met.

The story spilled into public on Jan. 9 when Bezos and his wife revealed they would be divorcing after 25 years of marriage – roughly two days after the Enquirer had informed him it would be publishing a story about his relationship with the former TV anchor. The Enquirer later published what it called “sleazy text messages and gushing love notes” between Bezos and the former TV anchor, raising questions about how the tabloid was able to get such intimate material.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan did not immediately comment on Bezos’ assertion that AMI had committed extortion.

It will certainly be interesting to see how this case unfolds and if, in fact, the National Enquirer committed sextortion. Extortion is defined as the use of non-physical force or threats to persuade another person to do something for you. With the growth of the Internet, extortion has been taken to the extreme, bringing us to sextortion or the use of sexual exploitation/blackmail to compel someone to do something for you.

Extortion/sextortion crimes can be charged as state or federal offenses and involve some type of bribery, blackmail, coercion or demands. This crime is a second-degree felony in Florida, carrying potential consequences of up to 15 years in prison.

July 20, 2018

Sextortion Cases on the Rise in Pasco County

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is warning people of online extortion crimes on the rise in the area, also known as “sextortion. “

Let’s say you meet someone online and develop a relationship. As things progress, the person may ask for nude images from you. Once they receive those photos or videos, the person will threaten to send the video or images to all their family and friends on social media unless they get money.

Pasco County’s biggest concern is that a lot of these cases involve people operating outside of the country, which makes it hard for local law enforcement to deal with.

It is also important to point out that once a photo is released to the Internet, it is virtually impossible to get it off. The best way to avoid this scam is to never send nude or explicit photos to anyone.

Deputies say anyone who has experienced this should call their TIPS line to report it at 1-800-706-2488.

Our Florida Sextortion Attorneys at Whittel & Melton are all too familiar with sextortion and dating blackmail cases. What may seem completely innocent can turn dark pretty quickly in these online dating scams. If you think you are alone, you are not. Many victims are too embarrassed to step forward and ask for help. We urge you to not give in to any threats being made against you, and let us help you fight back. We know the sensitive nature of these cases, which is why we will handle it discreetly. In many cases, just a letter or phone call from us can make the dreadful situation go away.