How to avoid becoming a victim of online extortion on VKontakte

Scientists theorists have derived a single formula according to which by blackmail I understand any threat emanating from a person in the form of compromising or worse, slanderous revelations, which may or may not correspond to reality at all, but can greatly damage the reputation of this or that person.

The purpose of such blackmail is primarily extortion.

Any money, property, etc. This is the objective side of this act.

Of course, the victim of blackmail suffers not only material, but also moral harm. Just imagine how much injustice this person suffered in this situation, how many experiences passed through his nervous system.

Blackmail can lie in wait for us at every turn, including on the Internet, and it is often associated with other crimes. Most often, his companion is extortion .

It is extortion that comes to the fore when the blackmailer begins to demand a monetary reward for his silence or some other things and services.

Types of blackmail on VKontakte

The popular social network is one of the favorite places of a wide variety of scammers and blackmailers. Today we will look at the three most popular ways to ruin the life of an ordinary person:

1. Hacking of a personal page. In this case, the attacker gains access to all your information - correspondence, contact list, videos and photographs, which he uses to achieve his goal. The situation is simple! You go to your profile and see a message from an unknown user who informs you that intimate photos have been found on your page. To prevent them from getting to your entire friends list, you must transfer a certain amount of money to your web wallet. If you try to block the ransomware, file a complaint with the admins, or delete your profile, the mailing will occur automatically. The victim of such extortionists is often an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend who at one time managed to star in a “home video” or be photographed naked. The blackmailer’s condition can be not only money, but also other options - breaking up with a new man, becoming a couple again, etc. By the way, a man most often plays the role of a swindler.
2. Online dating. The victim literally falls into the hands of the swindler! Having met a respectable man or a pretty lady online, you begin to have intimate conversations with the exchange of half-naked pictures of you. The payback for this may be blackmail in contact with the sending of correspondence or candid photos.
3. Child molestation charges. Mostly men fall into this trap. The following messages may appear on their vk pages: “You just sent me a photo of your genitals. I am 12 years old. I will file a complaint with the police about child molestation if you do not transfer 10 thousand rubles to my account.” Following this SMS, the man is also sent “material” evidence in the form of screenshots of correspondence.

You need to do two things (necessarily both the first and second):

1. Report all the circumstances and a link to the blackmailer’s page to the VK support service (the Write to support button). To find out the link to the page, see here. All methods of contacting VK support are here.
2. File a police report or consult with a lawyer first.
   Citizens of the Russian Federation can submit an application online on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

In addition, if your VKontakte page is hacked, you need to warn your friends about this and restore access to it - instructions here.

Methods of blackmail on the Internet

A new move by scammers in 2021 was network manipulation on the popular Russian platform Vkontakte. The algorithm of their actions: fake accounts start threatening that all your personal data will be leaked onto the Internet if certain conditions are not met. Of course, they relate to monetary “compensation”.

Manipulation options:

1. VKontakte page was hacked. Currently, there are entire databases with ready-made logins and passwords for hacking VK pages. Having received the data, the attacker gains access to any correspondence;
2. The person himself sends some information in the form of personal photographs (intentionally or not) to the blackmailer, who subsequently intends to use them for his own benefit;

A common situation: a girl, while corresponding with her boyfriend, sent “incriminating evidence” about herself (intimate photographs, videos, explicit messages, etc.). When breaking up, the guy, wanting revenge, promises to publish this information if the conditions are not met (return the old relationship, break off the new one, send money, etc.).

1. They faked an obscene photo allegedly with your participation. Perhaps the incriminating evidence against you does not exist at all, but a frightened person may believe in it.

What to do if you are blackmailed for money on VK

First, let's talk about the most common type of extortion and what to do if you are blackmailed for money.

You must understand that any attempt by an attacker to take your money in exchange for the fact that he will not distribute inconvenient photos or under any other pretext may be punishable by law.

Yes, it would seem that this is a virtual world, what kind of responsibility can there be? However, it is not. Save all messages, take pictures of them, make copies. And if even with the threat that you will contact the police, the attacker does not lag behind, put your words into practice.

If you can prove to law enforcement agencies that you are being extorted, they will definitely help you. If you wrote that you went to the police and received threats to life or health, then these are already serious violations, for which you can even go to places not so remote.

Let's look at some examples:

Your page was hacked and they asked for money from your VKontakte friends. Which of them thought that you really needed money and transferred a certain amount to the scammers. And now he demands your money back and threatens to write to the police. What to do in such a situation?

Action plan:

• We write to VK technical support with a request to record that your page was actually hacked and asked for money. We explain the situation to them; they have encountered this many times before and know what to do.
• The following we write to the person that he has become a victim of scammers and you have nothing to do with it and he has the right to contact the police, but this will not give any results since you are not to blame.
• If your interlocutor is determined to go to the police, do not dissuade him or offer him money. On the contrary, say that you are ready to give an explanation and help him get his money back.

As practice shows, in 95% of cases, this is where it all ends and no one goes anywhere, it just leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. If this is your close relative or friend, invite him to go to a cafe or bar at your expense, this will smooth out and relieve tension.

If your interlocutor went to the police, request a statement from VK support stating that you were hacked, come for questioning when they call you, explain to the investigator that you have nothing to do with it, that you have already asked support for confirmation that it was not you, etc. Such cases usually hang like a dead weight, but 1 out of 100 of them are investigated and the fraudster is imprisoned. The main thing is not to be afraid and tell the truth; there is nothing to show you, because the investigator needs to prove that you committed fraudulent actions, but he will not be able to do this.

Also read: Liability under Article 159.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

What to do if you are blackmailed on VKontakte with photos or videos

Often, attackers find compromising materials and try to influence a person with them. What to do if you are blackmailed on VKontakte with photos or videos.

First, let’s look at where your personal photos could come from:

1. Your page was hacked
2. Via a third party site
3. Your computer or laptop has been hacked

If an information leak occurred after a personal page was hacked, you must contact VK support as soon as possible.

They will freeze your page and the attacker will not be able to see the information.

If he has already saved the materials to a storage device or computer, then the task becomes more complicated.

You will have to contact the police and prove that the materials used for blackmail were not in the public domain, that your page was hacked. However, if your social network was hacked through authorization on a third-party site, then the problems will only increase.

In fact, this is your negligence, because no one forced you to provide your data. Therefore, it will be more difficult to prove that you are right, but it is quite possible.

A completely logical question arises: how to delete VK photos used to blackmail people.

At first glance, everything is simple: go to your page, click delete. But, most likely, the attackers created a copy of themselves and it’s almost impossible to get to it.

But a photo is a photo, you can easily refer to Photoshop and no one will prove that it is you who is depicted in it.

Things are more complicated with video. “What to do if someone blackmails me on VK with my videos.” - this is a question that law enforcement officers are hearing more and more often.

The answer is always almost the same: be more careful when posting your materials online. And it is true.

Often, users of social networks find themselves in funny situations due to their inattention and negligence. Nobody says that you need to block all your pages, delete photos and not communicate with anyone. No, just take it more seriously.

Any entry posted may be used against you. Be it a video where you speak unflatteringly about something or a photo for which you are ashamed. If it got on the Internet thanks to you, it’s only your problem and there’s nothing you can do about it.

The law is on your side only if the materials were published against your will. Then contact law enforcement agencies and demand your protection, because that is their job.

Let's look at an example. In this example, we will look at several types of blackmail at once: when they blackmail with photos or intimate videos, they blackmail with child molestation.

In this case, let’s imagine that a girl or guy writes to you and offers to get acquainted, after several days or weeks, you are offered virtual or exchange of intimate photos or videos. And as you already guessed, they begin to blackmail you and say that they will send all these photos or videos to all the people on your friends list, what to do in such a situation:

• Try to convince the attacker that you have no money
• Explain to the scammer that you will contact the police and he will be imprisoned for blackmail and that this is a crime under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and if he sends photos and videos, then you will demand moral compensation from him in the amount of, for example, 3,000,000 rubles. Believe me, as a rule, this scares off 90% of scammers and they disappear
• If this does not help, we print out the dialogue where you can see the text and the amount that they are extorting from you, go to a lawyer and certify the screenshots, then certify the screenshots where you can see the id of the page from which you are being blackmailed. We go to the police, write a statement and attach certified documents. Next, we take a photo of the whole process and take a photo of the ticket that the police will give you and send it to the extortionists.

Why certify screenshots? This will be the evidence base for the fact of extortion; without this, you will simply be refused to initiate a criminal case.

What to do if I blackmail you for reposts or memes

We delete the material and add it to the emergency situation who writes. If they are persistent, we say that we will contact the police, and if this does not help, then we certify the screenshots of the extortion and go to the police, send a photo of the tear-off coupon, and forget about the problem.

Remember the most important thing, don’t be fooled by scammers, they can only scare you in words, but if you scare them with the police and not just scare them, but actually go and write a statement and send a photo of it to the scammers, then they will immediately fall behind, even if they cannot solve your case , then in 100% of cases the ransomware disappears without doing what they promised. And remember only the police will help you!

How to get rid of a blackmailer?

In order to get rid of the blackmailer, you can simply ignore him. Yes, of course, in a fit of anger he will throw out his anger along with information, but he will not be able to do anything more in your direction. An instructive incident occurred in Moscow.

After drinking heavily at a party with colleagues, one decent family man remembered practically nothing in the morning. Naturally, he did not make it home, but fell asleep in the office on the sofa. An employee standing nearby hinted at a stormy night.

The family man began to say in horror that he could not cheat on his wife. Rushing home, he began to talk about how he fell asleep from fatigue. At this time, his pretty colleague began calling on the phone and demanding a significant sum of money to save the family. She said that she had revealing photos and videos and they could see the light of day.

The family man did not want to take money from his children and, after being depressed for several days, decided to take a risk and told his colleague that she could begin her attack - she would not wait for the money.

One time, a colleague called the wife of a family man and spewed complete nonsense, which the married woman did not believe, because trust comes first in this family.

And later everything calmed down completely. The colleague simply didn’t have any photos or videos.

What to do if you are blackmailed in contact

There are three ways to solve the problem. When faced with such a difficult situation, you can take three different paths. Let's look at each of them.

Contacting the police

This is the most reliable method of fighting ransomware, recommended by leading experts. You will not be able to track whether photos were destroyed or copies of video files were made, so you will never have complete confidence that extortion will not happen again.

The best solution is to contact the police. To do this, you need to write a statement like this:

To the head of police department No.____district of _______

Petrova O.A.,

residing at _______ (specify)

Tel._______________ (specify)

Statement

I ask that an unknown person under the nickname “Maxim” be brought to criminal responsibility, who, under the threat of distributing intimate photographs to my friends, demands the transfer of 10 thousand rubles to a QIWI wallet on September 30, 2016, before 18.00. A message of this nature was delivered to me on September 28, 2016 at 18.00 on the page of the social network VKontakte. The actions of an unknown person violate my rights regarding confidentiality of correspondence. They can also cause significant harm to me, humiliate my dignity and honor. On criminal liability for knowingly false denunciation in accordance with Art. 306 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation warned.

I am attaching to the application: screenshots of the VKontakte social page, screenshots of messages from an unknown person.

Petrov O.A. Date________ Signature__________

This statement must be taken to the police department located at your place of residence.

Remember, any additional information you receive after drawing up the application (receipt of new threats, distribution of information compromising you, increase in the required amount, etc.) will help law enforcement agencies quickly determine the whereabouts of the blackmailer.

Also read: How to correctly draw up an application to the Department of Economic Crimes for an inspection

In most cases, criminals use special programs that prevent the IP address from being determined. In this case, only the operational work of an employee of Department “K” (involved in the investigation of crimes in the field of computer information), who managed to track the route of sending messages, will help to expose the blackmailer.

When you turn to the police for help, be prepared for a strong psychological “attack.” You will have to talk about your personal life both during the investigation and in the courtroom. Be prepared to study in detail all the information (photos or videos) that became the subject of blackmail.

The investigator will find out where they were taken from, how the extortionist managed to gain access to them (unauthorized or you sent them to him yourself), whether you know this person - a standard procedure, without which not a single inquiry in the case can be completed.

Most likely, the materials with which you are being blackmailed will be attached to the doula as material evidence and will become known to the public (lawyer, state prosecutor, judge, secretary, etc.).

It is for this reason that many victims try to solve the problem on their own, without washing their dirty linen in public. In 60% of cases, such a decision bears fruit.

Ignoring the threat

According to statistics, in 99% of cases, the extortionist will not publish materials if the victim completely ignores any contact with him from the moment signs of blackmail are detected.

1. Remove yourself from all social networks. Simply deleting photos will not help - an experienced hacker will be able to track you.
2. You can also avoid visiting the page for a very long time. Special invisible programs will help you stay informed and control this situation.
3. Try to erase as much as possible from the World Wide Web all your data (telephone numbers, addresses, biographical information, etc.).
4. Do not contact the blackmailer, do not respond to any of his messages - they should remain unread. If a criminal sees the slightest sign of your visiting vk.com, he will immediately bring his threats into reality.

Perhaps after some time the criminal will forget about you. Then you can create a new page for yourself.

Otherwise, you will only have to gain strength and get through that difficult period when your relatives and friends will begin to vigorously condemn your intimate life. But you will save a considerable amount of money and stop being afraid.

Claim lack of money

What to do when blackmailed on VKontakte to avoid publicity and not pay anything? Convince the swindler of your insolvency - make it immediately clear that you do not have this amount and there is also nowhere to get it.

No matter what they tell you, no matter how they threaten you, stand your ground clearly. Once the criminal realizes that he has nothing to take from you, he will either reduce the amount or leave you alone.

Your main task is not to be nervous, not to make trouble, but to take everything philosophically and under no circumstances change your own position. As a last resort, demand an increase in time - during this time you will decide what to do next.

Know that all intimidation is aimed only at making you quickly figure out where to find money. The swindler will not put them into action, because then he will lose his potential earnings.

Of course, there is a small risk that the extortionist, getting angry, will publish incriminating evidence. But this entails another article of the Criminal Code.

Don't get caught up in emotions

The step-by-step instructions for interacting with a blackmailer look like this. If a person has just encountered something like this for the first time, he experiences stress. “The first phase of stress is shock. It can only be removed with medication; no other options will work. You should immediately take valerian. Therefore, the first thing to do when faced with a blackmailer is to interrupt him as quickly as possible, for example, by turning off the phone. Because he will call anyway - it is very important for a blackmailer to achieve his goal. He will whine to the last. So you need to interrupt this communication in any way, and get yourself a pile, no matter what. It is important that at the moment when a powerful release of stress hormones occurs, a powerful sedative effect is obtained,” notes Fedorovich.

The second stage is to involve a third party with whom you can confidentially discuss this topic, the psychotherapist emphasizes. “Shock for one does not necessarily mean shock for another; another may talk about it more coolly. Or it will help rationalize emotions, give emotional experiences some kind of brain basis. There is absolutely no need to stew in these emotions alone,” explains Alexander Fedorovich.

The third thing to do is to expand the circle of third parties to include a specialist. It doesn’t matter who – a lawyer, a psychotherapist, but it must be a person who knows certain techniques and methodologies that can actively help in this process, support the individual psychologically or physiologically, or give the situation some clear picture within which the strategy will be highlighted.

The fourth stage is determining the behavior strategy. Of course, it is impossible to sum up a general strategy for all special individual cases, but the general rules are still the same: do not play the game with the conspirator, figure out the identity of this person, otherwise interaction will not work, and understand how to interact with him. “It is impossible to make any recommendations here. For some, it may be easier to kill this blackmailer, for others - to dig up incriminating evidence on him, someone will want to bring him to legal responsibility before he has time to take any actions. There are no other options,” Fedorovich emphasizes.

The main thing for a blackmailer is to do everything quickly, quietly, clearly, to cut down everything he needs, taking advantage of the moment of shock. And then go into the shadows and stay in it. “The main thing for him is not to reveal himself. Therefore, there is no need to fuss, you should take care of your body, attract people and figure out who it is. If the blackmailer does not achieve his goal, he will begin to look for other options. It is unlikely that this person will suddenly behave honestly. Therefore, figuratively speaking, until the blackmailer is neutralized, it will be very difficult to get rid of him. And this should be done by professionals, specially trained people. And any attempt to personally control this situation is fraught,” the psychotherapist concluded.

Is it possible to identify the blackmailer?

Think about it: what might VKontakte know about a blackmailer? Last name, first name, patronymic, home address, place of work? Of course not. Phone number? IP address? What would such information tell you? Fraudsters use disposable phone numbers; you are unlikely to be able to reach them. By IP address you only recognize the Internet provider and the city. Let's say it's 5 thousand kilometers from you. And what?

Next: imagine that VK gives you some information about the blackmailer, you find him and, for the purpose of revenge, commit some crime. Does VK want to become an accomplice of another criminal? But let's say you want to get information about the blackmailer and go to the police with it. So go to the police, as indicated at the beginning. When necessary, the police themselves will receive the necessary information from the VK administration.

How to behave with a blackmailer?

You should not try to negotiate with a blackmailer. Such people act on the principle of hit or miss. Beliefs won't help .

However, you can try to come to an agreement only in one case - if you want to prolong your communication in order to simply gain precious time and provide information about the blackmailer to law enforcement agencies.

Never listen to what a blackmailer tells you.

He will begin to convince you that it is in your best interests to bring him money and that your relatives will be saddened if they find out that such information about you has been spread. Don't listen to these words. In fact, everything is extremely simple - the blackmailer is trying to influence your psychology using pressure and persuasion. Don't fall for this kind of behavior. Build your line and stick to it.

Harassment allegations

It is advisable to immediately write a statement to law enforcement agencies so as not to end up on the other side - in the dock. Harassment charges if not filed in a timely manner will carry serious criminal penalties as they amount to serious crimes.

Conducting VKontakte negotiations with minors on your own can be quite dangerous. Any unnecessary word can easily turn against you. But even in this case, it is strongly recommended not to contact online organizations that are ready to solve the problem for you for a lesser amount. It is better to find certified lawyers.

What liability will the extortionist bear?

Regarding extortion, the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for an article for the distribution of personal photographs of an intimate nature - No. 163 “Extortion”. In case of encroachment on someone else's property, the attacker may be held accountable:

• restrictions or imprisonment for up to 4 years (fine in the amount of 80 thousand rubles);
• forced labor - no more than 4 years (with possible restriction of freedom);
• arrest - no more than six months;

In case of a group act, the time limits may be increased:

• arrest for up to 7 years (if the required amount exceeded 25 thousand rubles);
• imprisonment for up to 15 years (for extortion over 1 million rubles).

Also, Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation states: when blackmailing and sending compromising videos, the extortionist can be taken under arrest for up to 2 years or a fine of 25,000 RUR.

Under Article 138 for hacking correspondence when a blackmailer is caught, the following may be imposed:

• Correctional work – no more than 1 year;
• Fine up to RUB 80,000 or six months’ income.

How to avoid VKontakte scammers

Basically, the victims of scammers are those who send obscene materials to strangers as part of communication (in particular, through online dating). Don't do anything provocative online.

If you do not want to get into a similar situation or want to avoid its occurrence again, take measures that will make scammers “unarmed”:

• Don't trust strangers on social media. networks. Don’t naively assume that everyone is interested in communication. Intimate correspondence and chats may soon turn against you. Simple online dating will turn into accusations of harassment;
• Limit access to your profile. Close your account through settings so that photos are visible only to friends;
• Do not add dubious pages as friends. Fake pages can write to you not only for communication, advertising their own products, but also to obtain compromising evidence;
• Update your login settings once a month. Try to choose complex password combinations with a combination of numbers, symbols, uppercase and capital letters;
• Contact support if your VKontakte profile has been hacked.

Also read: Types of fraud according to Article 159 Part 1

Follow all the points, then online activity will not harm your personal space. Even if some extortionist appears demanding payment for blackmail, you can be sure that the information is fake. Either the person simply wants to mislead you for his own benefit, or he has falsified the materials.

How to react?

Blackmail should not go unanswered. If such behavior is allowed, it will soon become acceptable in society, and everyone will consider it their duty to enrich themselves from someone else’s misfortune. We don't need such a reassessment of values ​​in society, so let's look together at the importance of responding to such behavior.

Of course, your first reaction will be shock. Shock, first of all, to all actions that are carried out in your direction. Then it will be replaced by panic.

You should not panic under any circumstances, because more than ninety percent of the wrong decisions made in this situation were made as a result of a powerful panic attack and fear.

You must pull yourself together and mentally talk through the whole situation to yourself. So, you are being blackmailed, this is bad. However, what is the way out of this difficult situation? Of course, it is necessary to report to law enforcement agencies . You will have to be a little frank and tell law enforcement officers about the information that they are threatening to show to the world.

You must draw up a statement and testify about the person who is directly blackmailing you. Only after this can you easily calm down and wait for the result. If you know the offender and you have copies of your correspondence, a recording of a conversation or a witness who will confirm the fact of blackmail, then the deal is in the bag.

Criminal liability for online extortion

Blackmail with photographs, videos and correspondence of an intimate nature is a criminal offense.
It falls under Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Extortion”. The act under this article entails punishment in the form of:

• restrictions of freedom for up to 4 years;
• forced labor for up to 4 years with or without restriction of freedom for up to 2 years;
• arrest for up to 6 months;
• imprisonment for up to 4 years with a fine of 80 thousand rubles;
• arrest for up to 7 years (if the criminals acted as part of a group and extorted more than 25 thousand rubles);
• imprisonment for 15 years (organized group + extortion of more than 1 million rubles);
• deprivation of the right to carry out certain types of activities or work in a specific position for a period of up to 36 months.

In addition, for blackmailing VKontakte with sending compromising video photographs of the criminal, he will be punished in accordance with Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Violation of privacy” in the form of arrest for up to two years or a fine in the amount of 25 thousand rubles.

Actions of attackers to hack correspondence on a social network are classified separately. Responsibility for them is provided for in Article 138 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and is punishable by a fine of up to 80 thousand rubles or community service.

What methods of protecting rights does a bona fide purchaser have?

1. The acquirer has the right to present evidence of his good faith and to object to the owner’s claims in the case of vindication of residential premises. If the court decides to return the property to the actual owner, then at least it will recognize the purchaser as bona fide, and this is already a lot.

2. Recognition of the acquirer as being in good faith gives him grounds to file a claim in court for compensation of losses against the person through whose fault the problematic residential premises ended up in the possession of the acquirer. Losses may consist, for example, in the amount paid to the seller (real damage), as well as in lost income that the purchaser could have counted on if his right had not been violated (lost profits). This may be a fee for renting out housing if, by the time of return, the purchaser has already concluded an agreement with the tenant for a certain period.

3. If a bona fide purchaser, during the period of ownership of the housing, incurred expenses for its preservation, maintenance (for example, carried out the necessary major repairs) or improvements (routine repairs), then he has the right to demand that the owner reimburse such expenses or retain the improvements he has made. If the improvements are inseparable without damaging the integrity of the housing, the purchaser has the right to demand compensation from the owner for the costs incurred13.

How to avoid becoming a victim of online extortion

None of you are safe from hacking of pages on the Internet or encountering an extortionist. But by following some recommendations, you will reduce the danger:

1. Make your profile private.
2. Don't add people you don't know as friends.
3. Change the settings so that a stranger will not be able to write to you.
4. Change your password periodically, choosing a fairly complex combination of various letters and numbers.
5. Never send intimate photos to anyone - neither those who are friends, nor those with whom you are unfamiliar (even if the person you are communicating with sent such a photo first).
6. Do not conduct online correspondence on the topic of intimacy.
7. Don't take part in video chats with strangers.
8. If your vk profile has been hacked, be sure to notify technical support.

The online world is full of dangers and adventures. Be more attentive to new acquaintances, question every word of your interlocutor and learn to keep your thoughts, emotions and feelings within the limits of what is permitted.

Definition of the criminal act of extortion

Article 163 (Part 1) of the Russian Criminal Code states that extortion is called:

• requesting to transfer someone else's property values ​​or transfer the right to them;
• a promise to disseminate knowingly false/true information that disgraces the victim, his relatives, loved ones or harms their rights.

It is necessary to distinguish between the similar extortion, slander and blackmail, since in criminal law each of them is understood as:

• extortion is when the person committing it promises or distributes knowingly false or true information that disgraces the victim, loved ones or relatives with a demand to transfer property values ​​to him or with the intention of causing damage to her;
• slander is when a person disseminates erroneous, deliberately false information that discredits the honor and business reputation of a person;
• Blackmail is when a person tries to take possession of the victim’s property values ​​or rights to it.

Additional questions

How to prove the threat of blackmail

In order to prove the fact of the threat, try to record a phone call, videotape the conversation, or print out the correspondence. Witnesses are also very important for the investigation.

If all this evidence is available in total, or at least some, consider that your blackmailer has already been punished.

Is it possible to prevent a person from writing to my friends?

Unfortunately no. Because even if it were possible, you already realized that he could create many pages or find other ways to connect with people.

Write on your page that personal information about you has reached criminals and they can distribute it. You need to do this so that your friends are prepared and so that it does not shock them - after all, the criminal can send out incriminating evidence at any moment. When you make an entry on a page, there is a lock next to the Send button - it allows you to make an entry only for friends.

Will it help me if I delete all my friends?

No, it won't help. The blackmailer saved links to all your friends in advance.

Will it help me if I delete my page?

No, it won't help. It will not change anything. Everything you sent to the blackmailer will not be deleted anywhere, and he already knows how to contact your friends. Deleting a page will only create problems for you - you will lose all correspondence, photos, friends, subscriptions. Later you will want to restore the page, but not everyone succeeds.

Next time, you'll be smarter and won't send personal information, photos or videos to strangers.

If you restore access to the hacked page, this will help

Most likely, the blackmailer has already copied personal information somewhere if he gained access to your page. For example, I saved it on my computer. Of course, you need to restore access to the hacked page, but this is unlikely to stop the blackmailer if he already has something to blackmail you with.

What happens if you pay and don’t go anywhere?

Having given the money once, you don’t need to think that it’s all over for you. There are known cases where blackmail and extortion on VKontakte continued for many years.

Periodically appearing on the network, the attacker demands more and more transfers for his silence. And if you don’t react now, he will definitely carry out his intentions - just to punish you for disobedience.

What to do if you are accused of sexual harassment on VKontakte

If you are accused of sending intimate photos or videos to a minor, immediately file a police report.

You are unlikely to be able to cope with blackmail on VKontakte for sending obscene materials on your own, since charges of this kind entail criminal liability for a serious crime.

Remember, there is a huge difference in negotiations with an adult and a “minor” blackmailer. Here, every word you say can work against you.

Under no circumstances contact the Internet Police or other similar organizations that offer to solve the problem for a smaller amount of money. There are no such units in law enforcement agencies!

You are faced with either the same ransomware, “working” from different pages, or fake sites profiting from random victims.

Social danger

Of course, blackmail is dangerous . Its main danger lies, first of all, in the fact that it corrupts society.

More and more people, having felt the taste of easy money, are trying to get their hands on it.

Another dangerous consequence of blackmail is the violation of the moral peace of citizens. After all, every unfulfilled demand of the blackmailer threatens family discord and other not the most pleasant consequences.

The most important social consequence is the decomposition of a person’s personality and pressure on his psyche . After such an incident, people become withdrawn and not sociable. They stop moving in society and withdraw into themselves.

After the dissemination or threat of dissemination of unpleasant facts about him, a person begins to think that everyone around him knows or, at least, guesses, points and laughs. Such behavior leads to all kinds of mental illnesses .

In some cases, blackmail leads to suicide.

The incident in Ryazan will remain in the memory of local citizens for a long time. A sixteen-year-old girl met a group of guys somewhat older than herself. As is usual with girls, I fell in love with the most unhinged hooligan of all.

The lifestyle of her chosen one seemed romantic to her, but in reality it consisted of daily assaults in dark alleys for the purpose of robbery, and then drunkenness.

At one of the drunken parties, the girl drank too much, and in the morning she was looking at too explicit photos on her boyfriend’s phone.

The young man grinned disgustingly and stated that he demanded a certain amount every week in exchange for the photos not being published.

Love didn’t work out, but it turned out to be a very instructive story, the main character of which, fearing the punishment of her parents and the condemnation of everyone around her, began to regularly steal money from her loved ones and give it to her boyfriend.

When the relatives realized where the money was going and demanded an explanation, the girl completely withdrew into herself. Threats that the payment deadline had come and there were no funds followed immediately. After being between two fires for a couple of days and not finding the right solution, the girl swallowed sleeping pills. It was not possible to save her.

The photo was never seen, but the unlucky blackmailer was charged with incitement to suicide.

Composition of the crime under the article “Extortion”

The elements of the crime under Article 163 of the Criminal Code of Russia are:

1. The object of extortion is property values, property relations and attacks on dignity, honor, health, and other legitimate interests and rights. In the resolution of the Plenum of the Russian Armed Forces dated December 17, 2015. No56 states that when committing extortion, the criminal seeks the transfer of property values ​​or rights to it for himself personally or for other citizens. Article 163 of the Russian Criminal Code can be found in “Crimes against property (Section 8, Chapter 21).
2. The subject of extortion, according to Article 163 of the Criminal Code of Russia, are citizens who are 14 years of age or older. The age at which liability begins is also indicated in the general part of the Criminal Code of Russia, Article 20 (Part 2).
3. The objective side of this type of criminal act is the requirement to transfer property values, and it is important for the criminal to make their transfer appear voluntary. The objective side requires evidence, which is quite difficult to collect.
4. The subjective side is the intent to seize property values ​​or rights to it.

In the resolution of the Plenum of the Russian Armed Forces dated December 17, 2015. No56, paragraph 7 states that the case of extortion is considered completed from the moment a demand is presented to the victim, accompanied by a threat (Article 163, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Russia). In addition, failure to comply or compliance with the demands of the criminal by the victim does not have any impact on the legal assessment of the crime.

In other words, if a demand is made, accompanied by a threat, the criminal act is considered completed, and criminal liability arises for it without any reservations.

If for an attempt to commit any other type of crime the penalty is 3⁄4, then under the article for extortion of money a reduced sentence should not be expected. It should be noted that there is simply no attempt in extortion.

Extortion with a threat should be perceived as real violence on a par with such serious crimes as causing serious harm to health, murder, etc. A person from whom property values ​​are extorted under threat should always fear that the extortionist may take active action at any moment. At the same time, you should not pay attention to when the criminal promises to move on to active illegal actions - right today or the day after tomorrow.

The subject of extortion under Article 163 according to Article 163 of the Criminal Code of Russia is:

• property owned by the victim on the basis of ownership, rent, leasing, etc.;
• household appliances, clothing and other things (phones, PCs, office equipment, cameras, etc.);
• cash;
• non-cash money, bank cards and access to them;
• securities of any kind;
• property rights of any kind;
• any actions that do not directly lead to the loss of property (provision of services, performance of work, coercion to fulfill certain obligations, coercion to repay debts, etc.).

What is blackmail: general provisions

The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation does not have a separate article on blackmail, and therefore blackmail is regarded as a method of committing another crime.
Most often, blackmail is expressed: 1. A threat to the life and health of the victim or his loved ones;

2. Publication of compromising materials;

3. Other actions undesirable for the victim, compromising his honor or dignity, as well as causing harm to life and health.

According to judicial practice, blackmail is a method of committing another crime.

Blackmail and extortion are often mistakenly combined into one crime. However, Extortion should be identified as a separate crime, the signs of which are:

· Request from a citizen for funds, material resources;

· Forcing a person to commit undesirable actions;

· Threat of violence, causing harm to the health of a citizen or members of his family;

· Causing damage to property;

· Distribution of materials discrediting the honor or business reputation of a person.

Extortion is regulated by Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. However, if a person is required to pay money that was taken on credit or against a receipt, then the crime will be qualified as arbitrariness under Article 330. The only thing that the perpetrator can be accused of is exceeding his rights, since he needed to file a claim to collect the debt . The use of physical force and psychological pressure is unacceptable.

Blackmail in the Criminal Code

There is no special article for blackmail in the Criminal Code; as such, blackmail is not a separate crime and is most often considered by lawyers under Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Extortion”.

However, if extortion is an illegal way to demand money from a victim, then blackmail in legal practice is defined as a method of committing another crime, in most cases extortion, which is expressed in the form of a threat to commit any undesirable actions for the blackmailed person that are not related to threats of violence or murder.

That is, if a person is threatened with beating or murder, this cannot be considered blackmail; it falls under the corresponding article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on threats.

Thus, legally, blackmail is equivalent to extortion. The punishment for this offense can be imprisonment for a term of up to four years and a fine of up to 80 thousand rubles if there are no aggravating circumstances, but if they exist, then the punishment can be from seven to fifteen years and a fine of up to a million rubles .

Where to go for help

When blackmail goes beyond family troubles, often a person does not feel able to cope on his own, then it is worth involving other people. Law enforcement agencies can help resolve this situation, sometimes with the involvement of psychiatry (by the way, if a person manipulates his life, then it is quite possible to call an ambulance).

When turning to the police for help, remember that the more evidence you have, the better, since blackmail itself is not a crime, but only a method. Save correspondence, record conversations, take photographs - all this will help prove that you are right. After initiating a criminal case, you should notify the police about any activity of the blackmailer, and strictly coordinate your actions with their advice - these could be behavioral options, installed security cameras and listening devices, provocative meetings organized to catch the criminal.

Usually, after the operation is completed, the blackmailer receives a very real criminal sentence in accordance with the legal framework. Private detective agencies that identify the unknown blackmailer and security organizations that take control of your safety can also provide real help and support.

In the version of blackmail from a loved one, you can ask friends and family for help, since the police are unlikely to deal with the fact that the husband forces his wife to sit at home in the evenings. It is better to involve relatives of the same sex to talk with the blackmailer - the husband is more likely to understand the arguments of his wife’s brother (or even a counter threat with demands not to offend), and the wife will more quickly listen to the wise advice of her mother-in-law, which can replace manipulative techniques.

Emotional blackmail occurs at the intersection of the instability of the victim’s personality and the accentuation of the aggressor; accordingly, such problems can be solved by turning to a psychotherapist.

How to prove blackmail

Every victim who decides to file a complaint with the police faces the problem of how to prove that there are threats and that you are being blackmailed. Often on forums there are questions “what to do if you are blackmailed?” Victims of blackmail make the same mistakes:

• make concessions;
• trying to punish the persecutor themselves.

This crime is not classified as a separate crime, so the actions of the victims should be the same as for extortion. No one can guarantee that the blackmailed person will not resume his threats after his demands are met. At the same time, the blackmailer’s “appetite” can only increase. It doesn’t matter whether the victim’s reputation is at risk due to the demonstration of racy photos on the Internet, or his manager is informed about the theft of a subordinate. The result for the victim will be endless tension, constant stress and material/financial damage.

Attempts to punish the blackmailer yourself, as a rule, do not bring results. The person being blackmailed may use threats or even resort to physical violence. By reacting in this way, victims often achieve the opposite effect. The result in most cases is increased pressure. There is no guarantee that the ransomware will not try again. Judicial practice knows many cases where the blackmailer filed a counterclaim for libel. Physical violence will most likely become a reason for opening a criminal case.

In order for the criminal to be punished, the victim must prove that the blackmailer sought something from him by threat. When asked where to turn in case of psychological pressure for profit or if they are threatened with physical violence, there is only one answer - to law enforcement agencies.

Having contacted law enforcement agencies with a statement, a citizen has the right to count on the help of police officers. Police officers are required to respond according to the rules. A check conducted by police officers (with video and audio recording) will help obtain confirmation of information from the victim. Once confirmation is received, a criminal case will be opened. A person under psychological or physical pressure can also independently record conversations/meetings in audio video or photograph format. The court accepts such evidence, but reluctantly.

How can blackmailers steal your photos or personal videos?

In most cases, intimate photographs are chosen for the purpose of blackmail, and they can fall into the hands of criminals in different ways. For example, you lost your phone where you had photos or a flash drive where personal information was stored. Moreover, even a novice hacker can hack a social network page where many people store similar photos. You should know that experienced cybercriminals are capable of many things, even going so far as to launch spyware into the victim’s computer, which will take photos and record video from a webcam.

But more often than not, it doesn’t come to the point of masterful hacker attacks, since the victim personally puts the means of blackmail into the hands of the attacker. As a rule, photos of an intimate nature end up on the Internet from ex-boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands or cohabitants, who were “annoyed” by their other half and the separation was accompanied by scandals and threats. Moreover, lovers of dating sites are also at risk, since users, having gained trust, lure out intimate photographs, which they then use to blackmail their victims - there are plenty of such cases.

One Muscovite complained that her ex-boyfriend, whose breakup had not gone smoothly, threatened to send intimate photos of her to family and friends. To implement his plan, he has already created a page on a social network where he posted the first photos.

Another girl turned to lawyers that her account on a dating site was hacked, where she exchanged intimate photos in correspondence with a user. Now an unknown person is threatening to send the photo to family and friends, and to avoid shame, the girl was asked to transfer money to a virtual wallet. The woman is married, she has two small children, and if it becomes public, she will lose her family and be disgraced in front of her family. This thought leaves her in constant fear and anxiety.

It’s not just women who become victims of cyber scammers – guys get it too. Mikhail from Volgograd wrote to lawyers that after meeting the girl and talking for a long time, they exchanged intimate photos, and now the lady demands 7,000 rubles, otherwise she will put the photo on display for her family and friends. What should victims do in this case?