Do Blackmailers Follow Through? (And What to Expect)

Infopackets Reader Bill W. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

Thanks so much for your article on Facebook blackmail. I also read your article on Instagram blackmail.

Unfortunately, I have a similar situation. A few weeks ago, I received a random chat request from a female with a WhatsApp business account asking if I was affiliated with her company. She claims to work in the shipping department. I responded back stating she had the wrong number, but that didn't stop her from continuing to message me.

A few days into it and we exchanged some photos of each other (clothed). She asked where I worked, what kind of car I drive, etc. Eventually I let down my guard and I fired off a picture of my privates (per her request), but I made sure not to include my face.

Flash forward to this week and she's asked me for money because her car broke down and needs to be fixed. I politely refused. She got all bent out of shape and has promised to contact my wife, my workplace, and post my pictures all over social media. She showed me names of my Facebook contacts as proof.

My question is: do blackmailers follow through? She's made a collage out of the photos I sent and says if I don't pay in the next 3 days she's going to follow through with the threats. I've searched all over the Internet for 'do blackmailers follow through' and 'what to do if you're being blackmailed', etc, but can't seem to find a definitive answer and thought I would ask you, since you specialize in this cyber extortion. Do you have any advice? "

Related:

• Do Blackmailers Follow Through (and What to Expect)?
• Someone Threatening to Post Video, Pics? Here's What to Do
• Sextortion: What to Do and What Not to Do
• How Long Does Sextortion Last?

My response:

What you're referring to is WhatsApp blackmail, otherwise known as sextortion.

Quite often WhatsApp scammers will message you out of the blue, similar to the manner you describe. Once you respond, they will either try to get you caught up in a romance scam, or go a step further and force you into a 'pig butchering scam'. In the latter case, they will convince you to invest all (or a good chunk) of your savings into a fake bitcoin website. Based on my experience, a lot of Chinese scammers hang out on WhatsApp.

To answer your questions: yes, some blackmailers follow through, but some don't and it largely depends on your circumstances. What you can do about blackmail depends on a number of factors, including: what information they have on you, whether or not you paid anything, and what you have to lose.

If you have nothing to lose and don't care about being exposed, then block them and be done with it. Don't bother shutting down your social media because that can backfire, as I've mentioned many times in previous articles.

If you do care about the outcome, then you might want to read up on the situation and/or hire someone like myself to help you. I've worked on over 1,000+ cases since 2019 and know the scam inside and out, including what the scammers can and can't do, what they typically do, worst case scenarios (and how to stop it from happening to you), plus multiple contingency plans. Blackmailers are particularly skilled at exposing you in ways you would never expect - unless, like me, you have first-hand experience.

Contact me here to get these idiots off your back!

In this article, I will answer the following questions:

• Do Blackmailers Follow Through?
• Do Blackmailers Go Away?
• Do Blackmailers Ever Stop?
• Do Blackmailers Bluff?
• Should I Pay the Blackmailers?
• What Happens if I Don't Pay?
• Sextortion: What To Do (And What Not To Do)

Allow me to explain -

Do Blackmailers Follow Through?

Take the following into consideration:

• Online blackmail is an organized crime (almost always).
   
• The blackmailers are anonymous, though a handful of my clients told me that the Philippine scammers will show their face if you are brave enough to answer a video call with them. Nonetheless, they are practically anonymous because they are in another country.
   
• The scammers work in groups (almost always).
   
• The scammers are usually overseas, most of the time - usually Africa, Philippines, Morocco or India.
   
• The scammers lie about everything and will do anything to get your money.

With that said:

1. If you paid the scammers anything, they will never stop asking for more. That's how this scam goes 100% of the time.
    
2. Blackmailers work in groups and share your info within the group. This means that even if you paid one scammer, another blackmailer (oftentimes "the boss") may text you from a different number and demand even more money. I've seen this happen time and time again.
    
3. You have a 50% chance of being exposed. Some do, some don't, and some scammers go the extra mile.

Do Blackmailers Go Away?

Yes, eventually the blackmail scammers will go away at some point - but not while the scam is fresh.

Based on my experience, the risk of exposure increases each day that passes, especially at the beginning because you are hot on their radar. If you don't comply with the blackmailer's continued requests for money, the risk of your exposure may also increase because a lot of scammers want the money straight away. They are incredibly impatient.

Your exposure also depends on which gang of cyber criminals you're dealing with, because the scam is multinational and different groups of cyber criminals have their own style of propagating the scam. I know this because I've worked on over 1,000+ cases and have seen it first-hand.

For example, Philippine scammers quite often want the money ASAP while African scammers are a little bit more laid back and are willing to wait longer periods. Note that this is based on my experience, but may not be the case for you. It all depends on who you're dealing with and a bunch of other factors.

Do Blackmailers Ever Stop?

Yes, the blackmailers will eventually stop harassing you at some point - but with caveats.

First and foremost: if you already paid the scammers, they will never stop asking for more (as I've mentioned many times already). Also, depending on how much you paid, you the scammers might come back in the future. I know this because previous victims I've worked with have told me this is what happened to them.

Luckily my plan includes self-help information, so if this happened to you, you won't need to hire me again. I think that's fair and that's why a lot of people hire me to help in the first place. In fact, if you ever need extra support by email I always make an effort to respond in case the scammers come back in case you're not clear about something.

As for how they will go away: they will either go away on their own and not expose you, or they will go away after they expose you. It's a fine line to walk and if you don't know what to expect (or how to stop it from happening), this can be very stressful.

Once again, that's why a lot of clients end up hiring me - it's because I have lots of experience with this horrendous scam and can provide you a solid plan with contingencies in place - all based on previous cases I've worked on. If you're interested in speaking with me, send me an email and we can schedule a call. I'm happy to answer your questions. Note that our website and business is Better Business Bureau accredited with an A+ rating, and zero complaints. We've been online now for 23 years!

Do Blackmailers Bluff?

Some scammers bluff that they will expose you, while some follow through with their threats. Some of them go the extra mile and will cause serious disruptions.

One of the worst cases I've worked on was with UK Pro boxer. The scammers uploaded his video to a boxing forum and it went viral on social media. On top of that, the blackmailers also contacted the boxer's promoter and trainer with the video. Was all of this necessary? No, but it just goes to show you some scammers really do the extra mile.

Should I Pay the Blackmailers?

You should not pay the blackmailers anything at all - but that's easier said than done because blackmailers are extremely aggressive. If you pay, they will never stop asking for more. If you don't pay, then they might start reaching out to people to prove their point.

The best advice here is to delay them as best you can, while you come up with a plan. That's where my services shine: I've already got a plan with multiple contingencies in place, including: what to do about your social media (and how to stop the blackmailers from reaching out to friends and family), what to do about your wife or significant other, and what to do about your job.

These are the top 3 questions I get asked the most because this is what blackmailers target. Need help now? Send me an email and I will get back to you ASAP. I specialize in how to fight blackmail, including Facebook blackmail, Instagram blackmail and Snapchat blackmail.

What Happens if I Don't Pay?

Here are some not-so-nice examples of what happens if you don't pay the blackmailers based on cases I've worked on in the past:

1. Most of the time they will reach out to family and friends through social media using instant messaging. Sometimes they will become friends with people you know, then post something on a friend's page, then message you back to show you they've infiltrated your inner circle. When the blackmailers threaten you, it's usually with pictures of people you know on social media, or a list of names.
   
   Sometimes the blackmailers will upload your video to third party website (YouTube, nudie site, etc) and tag you in the video on someone else's social media page. Note that YouTube doesn't filter your privates, so if it gets uploaded, it won't be redacted. I know, because I've taken down client videos originating from YouTube.
   
   Don't want this to happen to you? Contact me now and let's talk about it.
    
2. If you are married or are dating, your significant other is prime target #1. In this case, the scammers may call or text her phone number directly, or reach out to her on social media. The blackmailers may also target your children with raunchy pictures of you or a video recording.
   
   This is exactly what happened with one case a worker on. The victim was a police officer. I helped him to slowly get away from the scammer's grasp as well as providing him with a viable way to explain the situation to his wife and kids, should he need to (per his request). The excuses I gave him helped to illustrate common paths scammers take when they expose their victims, so I knew the story would make sense.
   
   If you're in a similar situation, send me an email if you want my help.
    
3. The cyber blackmail criminals may also post your pictures or videos at work, especially if your workplace is tied to social media.
   
   In another case I worked on, the victim was fired from his job because the scammers uploaded his video to a third-party site, then tagged him in it on his Facebook workplace page. To make matters worse: even though the page was deleted, it was stuck in the Facebook search cache, meaning that anyone visiting the site would see the blackmailer's post (with link to the victim playing the banjo, per se) if they did a search.
   
   I can't make this stuff up - it's too specific!
   
   Not sure how to deal with the potential fallout of being exposed at work or at school? I've already got this figured out using my plan. Contact me now.
    
4. The blackmailers may upload your video to YouTube and other nudie sites, and then share it on social media or in online forums.
   
   As I already mentioned, this happened to a professional boxer in the UK. Not only did they follow through with this threat, but they also contacted his promoter and his trainer with the video. I can't make this stuff up. The good news is that the client was able to track the scammer's IP address using my plan. The scammer was located in Morocco. He then hired an international lawyer to prosecute the scammer.
    
5. The scammers may threaten to contact your workplace or contact your employer / co-workers.
   
   In another case I work on, the scammers constantly called the client's workplace non-stop during work hours whenever the client stopped responding to the scammers text messages and demands.
    
6. The scammers may contact your relatives in your city based on a reverse lookup of your phone number.
   
   In another case I worked on, the client paid the scammers $1800, then demanded more. The client responded by telling the scammers he only gets paid once every 30 days. They contacted him again 30 days later - but this time he didn't respond. The scammers then text messaged everyone in his city with his last name (based on the reverse phone number lookup) and exposed him that way.

Blackmail: What To Do (And What Not To Do)

Still not sure what to do? Don't want to make any mistakes along the way?

Contact me now and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

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About the author: Dennis Faas is the CEO and owner of Infopackets.com. Since 2001, Dennis has dedicated his entire professional career helping others with technology-related issues with his unique style of writing in the form of questions-and-answers; click here to read all 2,000+ of Dennis' articles online this site. In 2014, Dennis shifted his focus to cyber crime mitigation, including technical support fraud and in 2019, online blackmail. Dennis has received many accolades during his tenure: click here to view Dennis' credentials online DennisFaas.com; click here to see Dennis' Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science (1999); click here to read an article written about Dennis by Alan Gardyne of Associate Programs (2003). And finally, click here to view a recommendation for Dennis' services from the University of Florida (dated 2006).