by Clo8 » Wed Dec 04, 2019 10:19 pm
I want to thank everyone for participating in this site and especially the moderators. Although it has been less than a week since I was initially scammed through sextortion, I am just beginning to feel a little better. Knowing how common it is and that people got through this adds some comfort so thank you all. My main advice is to listen to your gut. Anything you do online can be seen and used against you.
I wish I listened to my gut with the red flags and didn’t jeopardize my life I worked hard to build over a little “fun.” It happened so quickly and I was vulnerable for a brief period and they preyed on that. Why would an attractive girl be following so many more people than she had following her? Very little engagement on her Instagram. Out of the blue, wants to chat and instantly says I’m attractive and wants to chat on Skype to get to know better. Seemed innocent at first until she asks if I’ve ever done anything with a girl online. Listen to your upper head and don’t fall for it. Worthwhile women will not jump into video sexual that quickly. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. This is their job and they know how to make you feel comfortable and let your guards down.
The moment the scammer flipped the screen and said to pay up and showed the screen shot, my life flashed before my eyes. How could I fall for this and risk my life. My heart sank, my mind raced, and my gut felt like I would throw up. How could I face the world and my family but somehow I knew I had to. I didn’t know where to turn so delayed payment because by saying it would take days to access funds. They said it was unacceptable and they were going to post my video right then to my contacts. I took a deep breath and told them that once they posted it, what would the point to send them money. It would be too late. It gave me time to gather my thoughts, rationalize what I had done and search for answers. I found this site which has been tremendously helpful and comforting.
How I wished I found this site prior to my emotionally costly mistake. Find a way to to get the word out that this is happening frequently. If I had a fresh story of these sextortion scams in my mind, no way I would have fallen for this terrible mistake.
Also, follow the advice here. Discontinue your profiles and clean your web presence. Block the scammer and don’t give them ammunition or your money. It is so tempting to check on them but stay away. I hope they will give up on me. Yes, I am checking YouTube constantly and google search alerts. Hopefully they will not post it and some day I can find some semblance of normalcy and look my family in the eyes with minimal guilt or shame.
After researching some of the scammers on this site, it is easy to see other scam and fake profiles. What a resource here!
This site is so valuable in so many ways that I had to donate. I know we all have different resources but even if you just got some relief here, give something. $10, $25, $100, whatever. If we can all be part of the solution, we can save someone else our pain and suffering.
Thank you again ScamSurvivors!
Clo8