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Scammers blackmailing people over webcam footage or photographs. Sometimes referred to as "sextortion". Your first port of call should be www.blackmailscams.com for the steps needed.
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HOW are scammers getting FB data??

Fri Jul 26, 2013 3:34 pm

Thanks for your replies and for this site. It has been a life-saver for me and I'm sure for many others who have been conned in this way (or came close), and helped me to put things in perspective.

One answer I have never received though in days of researching this scam is HOW they actually can retrieve personal Facebook data from Skype without any consent from the account user.

What I have so far, is that Skype shares contact data with Facebook IF you set both up with the same user name. This explains how a skype ID "fred999" can be used to look up a public Facebook profile, because a facebook URL http://www.facebook.com/fred999 will lead anyone searching the name straight to a corresponding facebook profile.

But this doesn't explain how they can retrieve a user's Skype/Facebook contact details - which are private information - without a user's permission, which the scammer is apparently able to simply list either through Skype or using some other means, which they then paste into the Skype chat window.

If a person keep's their Facebook profile locked down and shares practically nothing publicly (like I do) there should be no way that this can happen. I am amazed that such a basic vulnerablility has not already been fixed or at least made public.

Can somebody explain to me how these scammers are able to get details like this at the drop of a hat? I think that a major part of recovering from being a victim of such a scam is UNDERSTANDING *HOW* IT HAPPENED AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT IT HAPPENING AGAIN (beyond the obvious admonishment of sexual behavior online).

I think at least some of the FAQ should cover technical issues regarding skype/facebook functionality and how contact info is handled, and how exploits allow this incredibly damaging leak of personal contact information to happen. Then maybe people will be able to take sensible precautions against these attacks (if this is already here somewhere I haven't seen, then apologies).

The biggest cost of these scams to me is not the money, but the huge burden of suffering that this brings to its victims and the very real possibility that it may drive a young or vulnerable victim to suicide. :(

Re: HOW are scammers getting FB data??

Fri Jul 26, 2013 4:03 pm

To find details from Facebook profiles is easy.

As you noticed above, using the same username all over the Internet for your online activity is one vulnerability. Not to mention that most of the online users pick up as username their real name - and make the work more easy to be identified in this way. Maybe alot of other peoples share the exact same name, but sure not all of them have the same face...

Using the same picture is another vulnerability. Since Google Image search is active, is enough just to put one picture in the search field and you will find alot of places online where that picture is used - most of those places are active profiles on different sites, where the user has friends and share details about himself/herself.

Even if your profile on Facebook is protected, some of your friends profiles are not... and for the scammer is easy to find you through your friends, the groups you join, the comments you made or the pages you like. Unfortunately, Facebook change from time to time the rules, without to warn the users about that and, from time to time, your privacy is not active. The new Graphic Search function, for example, allow other users to find you even by tags on your pictures or on your old posts on FB.

If your email address is posted online - another vulnerability: searching that email address will lead to your real life details posted somewhere online on one profile registered using that email address on most of the sites.

Same about your phone number posted online in skype for example - may lead to other profiles or comments made by you online where you posted that phone number previous.

And those are all easy ways who dont require alot of time...

Online is just another world with different rules. Most of the online places you join are not made to protect you. And is no one out there to protect you if you dont do it by yourself. For this reason, to be active online mean, first, to know the basic rules about safety. If you use something - no matter what - without to made that thing you use safe for you... it is your option. Good thing is we all can learn - if we really want to do it. Bad thing is that we learn just after one traumatic experience online opened our eyes about this unknown side of the online activity.

For everyone interested to find how much real life details he/she posted online and how you can get rid of it, this link may help: http://www.scamsurvivors.com/helpdesk/k ... article=26.

Why the scammers don't keep the victims' records

Tue Sep 10, 2013 4:40 am

We are asked all the time here - by new victims, why the scammers don't do backups with the chat logs and why they don't keep the videos recorded with the victims. Here are some legal explanations:

Most active scammers is this type of scam are from Morocco and Philippines.

Morocco - being a Muslim country, there are clear rules in this matter. According to those rules, Cybersex is Zina (illicit sexual intercourse).

World Fatwa Management and Research Institute, Is cyber sex or phone sex considered an adultery (Zina)?

"Zina according to Shari`ah is any illicit sexual intercourse. Thus pre-marital sex, extra marital sex and homosexuality are all considered Zina according to Islamic law. Zina is a major sin (Kabirah); It is absolutely forbidden.

Islam does not only forbid illicit sexual intercourse, but also forbids anything that leads to this sin and crime. 'Cyber sex', 'phone sex', etc. are those activities that can lead to Zina. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'The eyes commit Zina, the hands commit Zina and feet commit Zina and the genitals commit Zina.' (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith no. 4258) In another version, he is reported to have said that 'the genitals confirm or deny it.' (indicating that starring at opposite sex in a lustful way has a spontaneous effect on the genitals and may induce person to commit Zina)


Philippines - at September 12, 2012, entered into force a law that bans cybersex as part of a cybercrime prevention tactic. The act prohibits the "willful engagement, maintenance, control, or operation, direction or indirectly, of any lascivious exhibition of sexual organs or sexual activity, with the aid of a computer system, for favor or consideration."

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 aims to cut down on cybercrime by making certain acts such as cyber-squatting, computer-related forgery and identity theft, and child pornography, illegal. However, also included on the list of punishable offenses under this new act is cybersex and some harsh new punishments for libel.

Reporting videos.

Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:25 pm

Scammers sometimes post up videos on various sites at the start of the scam. Most these days simply show they have the footage by playing it back on Skype. I'm going to describe how to get the video removed. All sites have a similar way. Here's what you do.

Look to see if there's a flag icon next to the video. Most sites tend to have this below and to the right of the video. Click the flag and explain why the video breaks their terms of service (TOS). If there isn't one, look for a "contact us" option. Sometimes it's a form, sometimes it's an email address to write to. Write them and politely explain that the video is being used as a way to blackmail you. Point them to our site if you want as an explaination on how the scams work. Reporting private videos is much harder, but the methods are still the same. Now, you need to be patient. Some sites will remove the video within minutes, some may take 2 days or more. Don't keep on writing them. They got your message, no need to bombard them with more. By following these steps, I've managed to get hundreds of videos taken down off sites, many of which the people in the videos themselves either didn't know about or had no idea how to report.

Removing private videos on Dailymotion

Sat Jan 10, 2015 7:34 am

For open videos, it's easy to just flag and close them on the video's page.
If you do not have access to the video to flag it but know the link, you can still have it removed.

For private videos, first get the link to the private video from the address bar and copy it.
Then click on this link: https://faq.dailymotion.com/hc/en-us/ar ... e-content-
Next, fill out the report on the page, and add the link you coped in the report.
You will not get confirmation from Dailymotion, but the videos are deleted fairly quickly.

If you want them to email a response and a confirmation that the video was deleted back to you, do not fill the report on that page, but click on "Submit a request" button on the right side of page. Fill out information there.
You will include your email address, the link to the video, description of report.

This wording, mentioning crime and a link to the scamsurvivor.com topic address where the scammer's activities are shown, works well.

This account holder has been committing crimes of Blackmail, Extortion, and Wire Fraud using this account to scam innocent people. They are collecting naked videos of their victims, and threatening them with exposure to the victims' family and friends if they do not pay them via Western Union or Moneygram. They store their videos here in Private Mode or on their Dailymotion account openly and send links to their victims or post them in public and then delete them after showing the victims. Please delete this Dailymotion user's videos and account. Proof of the scamming activities of this user is posted here: [Scamsurvivors.com topic address]

Thank you for acting on this ASAP.

How to remove videos on Google Blogspot

Sat Apr 11, 2015 5:19 pm

The main page for reporting Google Blogspot content is here: https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/76315?hl=en

On this page, go to this entry:
Posting of private information (credit card numbers, private nude images, etc.)
https://support.google.com/blogger/cont ... o?id=&url=

Enter information and Submit report.

How to remove videos on Mediafire

Sat Sep 19, 2015 12:41 am

https://www.mediafire.com/policy_violat ... ervice.php

Terms of Service

MediaFire's Terms of Service prohibits the distribution of Content that infringes any copyright, trademark, or patent, without the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to distribute the Content. Distributing any Content that violates the rights of others and sexually explicit material are other examples of Terms of Service violations. Refer to our Terms of Service for more information about violations.

MediaFire's Customer Support team responds to potential violations of MediaFire's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. If you are reporting a potential violation, send a support ticket and include a direct link to the Content. For the account holder, a confirmed report of a violation will result in account suspension. If you feel your account was suspended in error, contact our support department with detailed information for further evaluation.


Support ticket link: https://www.mediafire.com/help/submit_a ... type=abuse

Seriously, quit the "Did they post the video?" questions.

Thu Oct 01, 2015 10:28 pm

You know what we get asked every day? Not once a day, but several freaking times a day! "Did they post the video?". How many times do we need to say it? Follow the steps we give and the odds are less than 1 in 1000 they'll actually post it based on our experiences. Quit asking it in the forum. Quit PMing people asking it. Quit asking the staff here in PM. Quit asking EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE STAFF HERE about it in PM. Seriously, there's only so many times we can be asked "did they post the video?" or "but what if they post my video?" before we want to start biting chunks out of our keyboards. What if aliens land? What it Kanye West actually becomes president? What if Slaphappy find out I've been dosing his cat's food with caffeine for the past 2 years and that's why she's so crazy all the time? It's simple, people. Follow the steps we've made based on having dealt with thousands of cases just like yours, and we give the same guarantee the scammer won't post your video that adverts for bleach give. More even. And when we say follow the steps, we mean follow ALL THE STEPS. They're there for a reason. That reason is to give you the absolute best chance against the scammer we can. We don't get paid for doing this. We do this voluntarily. We're not here selling a service or a product. We're here, giving our time freely to help you. You do the steps, you don't do the steps, we gain nothing either way. So accept the fact we're doing this purely to keep you safe and we'll all be good. Right? Right.

http://blackmailscams.com THE STEPS

Removing personal information from profileengine.com

Sun Mar 13, 2016 11:52 am

Written by firefly in another topic, and copied here;

Do you know how to remove things from that site, profileengine.com?


If your profile was active on FB before 2010, the details of that profile might be on profileengine.com - FaceBook privacy at that period of time was not great and they where allowing external websites to search and index their data. In 2010, FB changed the privacy settings by removing that option - meaning if you set your profile for the option "NOT to be indexed by external search engines", no external website can copy/index the details you have on your FB profile.

Deleting a profile from profileengine.com follows a weird procedure. According to their site, in order to delete your profile, you have first to "claim" it. In theory, if your email address was mentioned on your FB, the site will contact you using that email address of yours, giving you access to your own profile on their site. If the email address was not visible on your FB profile when they stolen your details from there, according to their help section, the site will ask you to send them a copy of your national ID card, or driving license, so they can match the picture of you that they stole and your nickname, with the ones that appear on your official document...

Another option is to open a ticket on their "helpdesk", which will take up to a month to be answered, and they will ask for your personal ID also.

At this stage, it is hard to say how much you can trust a site stealing your personal information you never gave to them by giving them copies from your official doccuments.

The other way around - and we advise you to use this one - is through Google "right to be forgotten" form:
https://support.google.com/legal/contac ... arch&hl=en

Works if you are resident of the European Union ( Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).

If you are not resident of those countries, you can use the Google option "fill-in a complaint for Copyright infrigement".

According to deleteprofileengine.com, you need to follow 3 steps for this last option:

1. 1) fill-in a complaint for Copyright infringement on your profile picture or other pictures stolen by profileengine. With your google account (like gmail), enter this link:

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/dmca-dashboard and click on the "create a new notice" button. Then follow the instructions.

2) fill-in a complaint for privacy breach and identity theft (try to mention the law references of your country in this complaint) by going to the link https://support.google.com/legal/contac ... =websearch With this, google will remove the link from their search results.

3) fill-in a report for phishing of identification documents at this address:

http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish/.

In this report, mention that the site profileengine.com has been trying to obtain a copy of your identification documents, which is an illegal practice. By reporting this, google might decide to remove profileengine.com in its index and search results, and will display a warning to any link going to their website, about phishing and malware.

Report an Impostor Facebook Account Pretending To Be You

Fri Apr 08, 2016 2:06 pm

To Report an Impostor Facebook Account Pretending To Be You
https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/295309487309948

You do not need your FB active to do this. It may take 2-3 days for FaceBook to remove the page.
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