Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
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.
If you have visited an online dating site like match.com or PlentyofFish (POF) or a hookup app like Grindr or Tinder and are now being blackmailed for money, we urge you to contact us first before you do anything else. We want to protect you from these vicious scams. Call us today at 727-847-2299 or contact us online for a completely free and confidential consultation.