BELIEVE IT OR NOT, A CONSIDERABLE
PORTION OF THE INTERNET IS COMPRISED
OF PORNOGRAPHY, AND THE WEB SITES CATER
TO A LARGE AUDIENCE. WE MAY
NOT LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT MANY
PEOPLE SEARCH FOR ADULT ENTERTAINMENT,
BE IT IN THE FORM OF PORN VIDEOS,
ADULT DATING OR ONLINE
PROSTITUTION. BUT HOW DO YOU
KNOW WHICH SEX SITE TO TRUST IN WHICH
PORN WEBSITE, MAYBE A FRAUD?
THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS IN WHICH SCAMMERS
ARE MISUSING THE ADULT INDUSTRY.
USERS OF ADULT WEBSITES ARE
ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE AS SCAMMERS KNOW
THAT MANY OF THEIR VICTIMS WILL NOT SEEK
HELP, LET ALONE CONTACT THE
POLICE. OUT OF SHAME, WE
GET REPORTS MAINLY ON FOUR KINDS
OF AD SCAMS. THE MOST COMMON
COMPLAINT WE RECEIVE ABOUT PORN SITES
IS THE MISUSE OF CREDIT CARDS.
MEN AS WELL AS WOMEN HAVE
REPORTED SO CALLED SUBSCRIPTION HELP
DESK SITES TO US, WHICH HAVE CHARGED
THEIR CREDIT CARD ILLEGALLY. THESE
SITES HAVE UNUSUAL NAMES.
THEY CHARGE CREDIT CARDS ON BEHALF OF
OTHER SITES, WHICH MAY EITHER BE OWNED
BY THEIR OWN COMPANY OR BY OTHER
ENTERPRISES, USUALLY IN THE ADULT
CONTENT, GAMBLING OR DATING
INDUSTRIES. THE REASON A DIFFERENT
DOMAIN NAME IS USED IS THAT CONSUMERS
MAY NOT WANT TO SEE THE NAMES OF ADULT
SITES ON THEIR CREDIT CARD TRANSACTION
SLIPS. HOWEVER, SEVERAL OF THESE
HELP DESK SITES ARE NOTHING MORE THAN
SCAMS THAT HAVE GOTTEN THEIR HANDS ON YOUR
CREDIT CARD. WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?
IF SUCH A SITE IS CONTINUALLY CHARGING
YOUR CARD SIMPLE, CALL
YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY AND ASK
FOR A CHARGEBACK. YOU CAN CLEARLY
STATE YOU HAVE NEVER DONE THE TRANSACTION
WITH THIS WEBSITE AND THEREFORE THE CHARGES
ILLEGAL. THEY PREFER TO JUST
STOP CHARGING YOU INSTEAD OF BEING CUT
OFF BY THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY SO
THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE THEIR MALPRACTICE FOR
A LONGER TIME. MANY ADULT DATING
SITES SITES CLAIM THAT YOU CAN FIND
LIKE MINDED PERSON INTERESTED IN
SEX. HOWEVER, IN MANY
CASES THE PROFILES ARE FAKE OR THE
PERSONS BEHIND THE PROFILES TEASE
YOU TO PAY EXTRA USERS
MAY EVEN HAVE TO PAY FOR EVERY MESSAGE
THEY SEND. THE PROMISE OF HAVING
ACTUAL SEX IS RARELY MADE TRUE.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU GET DUPED BY
ONE OF THESE SITES
UNLESS YOU ARE INTO THE ENTERTAINMENT
PART, WE SIMPLY RECOMMEND CANCELLING
YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. ALSO,
MAKE SURE TO ASK FOR COMPLETE REMOVAL
OF ALL YOUR ACCOUNT DATA TO PREVENT
BECOMING A TARGET OF SEXTORTION
SCAMS. A SEXTORTION, OR PORN
SCAM IS WHERE A SCAMMER THREATENS TO EXPOSE
YOUR ADULT ACTIVITIES TO FRIENDS
AND FAMILY UNLESS YOU PAY. IT
CAN ALSO BE CALLED THE PORN BLACKMAIL
SCAM. THE MOST COMMON WAY
TO BE CONTACTED IS VIA EMAIL,
WHICH IS SENT IN BULK TO TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE DAILY. THE SCAMMER CLAIMS
THEY HAVE HACKED YOUR COMPUTER NETWORK
OR JUST FILMED YOU WHILE YOU WERE VISITING
A PORN SITE. USUALLY
THEY CLAIM THAT THEY WILL SEND THE PHOTOS
AND VIDEOS TO YOUR RELATIVES OR JUST
POST THEM ONLINE UNLESS YOU MAKE A PAYMENT
VIA BITCOIN OR ANOTHER UNTRACEABLE
CRYPTOCURRENCY
SCAMMERS MAY INCLUDE YOUR NAME, EMAIL,
ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, CREDIT
CARD OR EVEN PASSWORDS IN
THE EMAIL AS PROOF. WHATSAPP,
TWITTER AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
ARE ALSO INCREASINGLY BEING MISUSED
TO SEND THE SAME KIND OF MESSAGES.
HOWEVER, IN
99.9% OF THE
CASES, THE EMAILS ARE FAKE.
THERE IS NO RECORDING IN THE SCAMMERS. JUST
SEND THOUSANDS OF MESSAGES A DAY TO SEE
IF SOMEBODY BITES. WHAT
SHOULD YOU DO? IF YOU GET SUCH AN EMAIL?
THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO JUST DELETE
THE MESSAGE AND MOVE ON. IF YOU
REPLY, YOU ONLY ARE GIVING THE SCAMMER
A REASON TO KEEP HARASSING YOU. IF
A CREDIT CARD NUMBER OR PASSWORD WAS
SENT ALONG AS PROOF, MAKE SURE
TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD AND REPORT THE
INCIDENT TO YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY.
YOU CAN ALSO REPORT THE EMAIL TO
THE EMAIL PROVIDER, FOR EXAMPLE,
GMAIL OR OUTLOOK.
UNFORTUNATELY, SOME CYBER CRIMINALS
DO HAVE REAL BLACKMAIL MATERIAL.
YOU MAY HAVE BEEN SEXTING OR EXCHANGING
NUDES WITH A PERSON WHO THEN USES THE
CONVERSATION AS BLACKMAIL. THERE
HAVE ALSO BEEN SEVERAL INCIDENTS WHERE
PROSTITUTION SITES HAVE BEEN HACKED
AND THE CONTACT DETAILS HAVE BEEN
SOLD. IN SOME CASES,
VICTIMS ALLEGED THEY WERE CONTACTED BY
THE POLICE TO PAY A FINE, AS THEY HAD BEEN USING
A SITE TO SEARCH A PROSTITUTE.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU'RE CAUGHT IN THIS
EXTORTION CASE
FIRST? DO NOT REPLY. EVEN
IF THEY DO HAVE SENSITIVE MATERIAL,
IT IS OF NO USE TO START A DISCUSSION.
THEY WANT MONEY AND WILL KEEP PRESSURING YOU
TO PAY. IF YOU DO NOT REPLY,
THERE IS A BIG CHANCE NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.
ALSO, NEVER, EVER SEND
MONEY. THE SCAMMER WILL JUST KEEP
ASKING FOR MORE MONEY. THEY ARE CRIMINALS.
AFTER ALL. IF YOU PAY, IT
ONLY SENDS A SIGNAL THAT YOU CAN PAY
MORE. IF THE EXTORTED
IS SENDING CONFRONTING MATERIAL,
WE RECOMMEND CONTACTING THE POLICE
THEY CAN FIND AND PROSECUTE THE SCAMMER.
WE REALISE THIS MAY BE A CONFRONTING
STEP, BUT IT IS BETTER TO BE CONFRONTED
WITH THE UNPLEASANT CONSEQUENCES OF ONE'S
ACTIONS THAN BEING MANIPULATED BY
CRIMINALS.