Sextortion on the rise, warns cyber crime wing

Hyderabad: If a friendly woman turns up on your social media or dating site, be alert. She could be from a gang that lures people into sexual situations  and then extorts money, a practice that is known as 'sextortion’.

Sextortion cases have increased in the city, with several men being blackmailed into paying large sums to scammers. Dating platforms have evolved into a new avenue for scammers to defraud people and extract money from them.

Earlier this month, cyberfraudsters made nearly Rs 1 lakh off a Cherlapally central prison official. In August, a Turkayamjal student lost Rs 98,400 to 'sextortion' after the woman threatened to make a video viral.

According to Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) officials, the majority of women on such platforms are trapped by traffickers in Bangladesh. "They are promised jobs and housing in Hyderabad, Vizag, and Bengaluru before being transported to West Bengal," an official said. “They are given false identities and sent to various cities in India, where they are forced into prostitution and cybersex."

Officials say that sextortion often begins with friendship offers, but rapidly progresses to sharing compromising photos and videos in order to extort. "Apart from dating apps, people on social media and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp are also targeted. They receive a message that is followed by a video call at random. During the video call, a woman begins conversing and undressing while the call is being screen-recorded. The recording is later used to threaten and extort money from the victim," an official explained.

According to Rachakonda cybercrime officials and cybersecurity experts, many victims of sextortion are afraid to file a complaint.

According to cybersecurity expert D. Srinath, there is a stigma because the victims will have to explain to family and friends about their presence on the dating app. Cybercrime officials advised people to look for warning signs and verification tags on such profiles.

"With so many dating apps popping up," Srinath said, "one must be cautious before sharing personal and financial information on such platforms."