Recommendations for actions of citizens in case of blackmail on the Internet

The growing popularity of communication between citizens via the Internet has largely contributed to the development of online crime - blackmail, extortion and fraud.
You can avoid blackmail on the Internet by observing network security measures, as well as by suppressing the actions of the offender by contacting the police. Dear readers! To solve your specific problem, call the hotline or visit the website. It's free.
8 (800) 350-31-84

The concept and types of blackmail on the Internet

Blackmail online refers to forcing a user to take any action under the threat of slander, violence, dissemination of personal data, etc.

The purposes of blackmail are:

• extortion of money or other material benefits;
• personal revenge;
• coercion to perform legal or social actions.

The targets of blackmail are usually users of social networks and dating sites, and less often – participants of thematic forums or portals.

In most cases, attackers threaten users with the following actions:

• dissemination of personal data of a commercial or intimate nature;
• false denunciation to the police;
• hacking of personal pages on social networks and mail servers;
• infection of the user's computer with malware;
• causing harm or violence in real life.

The threat of disseminating personal data can be aimed at both extortion and revenge based on personal hostility (for example, against a former spouse).

The threat of hacking pages or damaging data on a computer is carried out for the purpose of extortion, and threats of violence in real life are usually sent over the Internet in order to maintain the anonymity of the sender.

How to avoid becoming a victim of Internet blackmailers?

The World Wide Web has long become part of the habitual way of life of a modern person. Along with new technological capabilities of users, new methods of crime have appeared that affect the privacy of those who cannot imagine themselves without a computer or tablet.

Many of us have long followed the habit of “sharing” personal photos with our friends, colleagues, and spouses. Sometimes actively capturing yourself brings problems associated with extortion, coercion to perform some action in exchange for non-distribution of candid photographs.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that the ransomware often “works” under a fictitious name and nothing is known about it. What to do if you are blackmailed on the Internet?

Legal regulation and responsibility

Most methods of blackmail on the Internet are criminal offenses. If blackmail is carried out for the purpose of extorting money, then the attacker is held accountable under Art. 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with the imposition of punishment in the form of:

• imprisonment for up to 4 years;
• a fine of up to 80,000 rubles;
• forced labor for up to 4 years;
• 6 month arrest.

A threat to cause serious harm to health or to kill a user in real life, regardless of the motives, is punishable by 2 years in prison, and if such a threat was made on the basis of social, political or other hostility, then the prison term can increase to 5 years according to Art. 119 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

If the offenders actually spread false information of a defamatory nature about the user, they face a fine of up to 5 million rubles or compulsory labor lasting up to 480 hours (Article 128.1 of the Criminal Code), and blackmail with hacking of mail or personal page is qualified as a violation of the secrecy of correspondence (Article 128.1 of the Criminal Code). 138 of the Criminal Code).

Punishment for this crime can be a fine of up to 80,000 rubles or correctional labor for up to 12 months.

Punishment for blackmail (Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation)

Sanctions for extortion and blackmail are varied. The exact amount of punishment is determined by the judge based on the circumstances of the case and the personality of the accused. Ordinary extortion without any aggravating circumstances is punishable by:

• Forced labor or restriction of freedom of the defendant for up to 4 years;
• Arrest for up to six months;
• Real imprisonment up to 4 years.

In addition to the main type of punishment, an additional one may be applied in the form of a fine of up to 80 thousand rubles. If extortion is committed by a group of people with harm to the health of the victim or on a particularly large scale, the perpetrators may end up in jail for 15 years. The fine can easily increase to 1 million rubles.

A suspended sentence may be imposed if the defendant has not previously been prosecuted.

Blackmail and extortion are considered dangerous types of crime. They threaten not only public safety as a whole, but also the life and health of each individual person, as well as the safety of his property. It should also be noted that blackmail not only affects the material and physical components of human relationships, but also captures the moral and ethical side of communication. Threats are often of a moral nature in order to have a greater impact on a person’s consciousness and psychology.

• Didn't find the answer to your question? Find out how to solve exactly your problem - call right now:
• Federal number -
• Moscow region, Moscow -
• Leningr. region, St. Petersburg -
• It's absolutely free and fast!

How to prevent blackmail?

To prevent blackmail on the Internet, you must adhere to the following rules:

• do not post intimate content, as well as personal passport data, on social networks and file hosting services;
• do not trust your photographs to strangers;
• do not open suspicious email messages;
• add only personally acquainted people to your contacts or friends lists;
• monitor the privacy settings of personal pages on the Internet.

When creating accounts, it is important to set up the visibility of your personal phone number; it is also not advisable to indicate your real location or residential address.

If there are threats of hacking personal pages or infecting your computer with viruses, you need to change the password to a more complex one using letters of different case, numbers and symbols, and also install an anti-virus program on your computer.

Two-step authorization by sending one-time passwords in a message to your phone is a good way to protect against hacking, but it is important to consider that you cannot access the Internet from the same mobile device to which messages with passwords are received.

If attackers have gained access to personal data and initiated blackmail, you must do the following:

1. Find out the purpose and motives of the offenders, and, if possible, try to determine their identity.
2. Do not succumb to provocations, informing the attackers of your intention to contact the police, and indicate the appropriate article of the Criminal Code.
3. Save all dialogues with offenders, taking screenshots of correspondence to be safe.
4. If threats and blackmail continue, file a complaint with the police.

Most major social networks provide users with the opportunity to report violators by clicking the appropriate button and attaching a description of the situation.

A statement to the police is written in real cases of extortion or threats; the text must contain the following information:

• name of the place where the complaint was filed;
• a description of the offender’s actions in chronological order;
• consequences of blackmail for the user;
• a request to initiate a criminal case and bring the offender to justice under the relevant article of the Criminal Code;
• evidence of blackmail;
• date of filing the appeal, full name and contact information of the victim.

A sample complaint to contact the police can be downloaded by clicking on the link.

Evidence can include screenshots of correspondence, emails, and conversations saved online.

What to do if you are being blackmailed

When threats and monetary demands are received online in exchange for non-publication of materials discrediting the honor and dignity of a citizen, the victim has several options for behavior. He can:

1. Contact the police. This kind of action can be classified as extortion. Statement of the victim, according to Art. 140 of the Criminal Procedure Code is the basis for opening a criminal case. It can be taken either orally or in writing. Law enforcement officers are obliged to check the stated circumstances, establish the fact of an offense and open a case, starting a search for the criminal.
2. Ignore extortion. Lack of reaction is a reason for the blackmailer to switch to another victim. The more responsive the extortion recipient is, the more interested the extortionist is, and the greater the chance that the victim will comply with his demands.
3. Declare your insolvency. If the victim manages to convince the extortionist that he has no money, the criminal will lose interest.

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

If the victim regularly pays the money requested by the extortionist and does not contact law enforcement, this is the best outcome for the extortionist. The victim has no guarantee that after paying the requested amount the extortionist will remove all defamatory materials and stop threatening to distribute them.

Most likely, some time after the transaction, the fraudster will remind you again and demand a new transfer. The more painfully the victim reacts to this, the more effort will be made to obtain a new amount.

How to avoid intimate blackmail?

Intimate blackmail is one of the most popular offenses on the Internet; it is expressed in the demand for material wealth under threat:

• distribution of intimate content of the victim;
• false denunciation to the police.

The first case is punishable under Art. 128.1 of the Criminal Code as slander, and the second - under Art. 306 of the Criminal Code as a knowingly false report. A false denunciation is often associated with the dissemination of intimate photos by a user on social networks. The attacker who receives such content threatens to accuse the user of harassment, molestation and other crimes, demanding the transfer of money.

In this case, it is important to save the correspondence as evidence of the attacker’s intentions and immediately report to the police in order to avoid prosecution for false denunciation.

At the same time, it is impossible to transfer any funds to the extortionist or ignore such threats, since this may be regarded by law enforcement officers as an admission of the reality of the blackmailer’s accusations.

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.

“We’ll help you get paid”

The pandemic overlapped with the pre-election period. That’s why the authorities constantly announced some kind of payments. They gave money either to pensioners or to parents of schoolchildren. Naturally, scammers did not miss this chance, and sites appeared on the Internet that offer assistance in processing payments. Some of them are disguised as pages of real-life banks. To receive money, you only need to enter your bank card details, including the code on the back. True, the funds will not be credited, but written off from her.

How to protect your money

If the payment is not calculated automatically and you need to submit an application to receive it, this is still done on the official website. For example, payments for children were processed through State Services. This is not difficult, and now departments post clear instructions on how to act. That is, there is no need to go to an incomprehensible resource and enter card details there.

And one more thing: the code on the back of the card is needed to write off money. Her number is enough for enrollment. So demanding extra information is always a reason for suspicion.

“Due to a glitch, you have been disconnected from the clinic”

The person receives a message that due to an error in the system, he has been disconnected from the clinic. To return the status of a patient, you need to submit an application and pay a state fee. This can be done on the supposed “State Services”, that is, on a website that is very similar to the official one.

The scheme is dangerous not even because the scammers will pay a “state duty.” They will receive a login and password from State Services, and with them access to personal data, the ability to apply for tax deductions, various payments and even loans with microloans.

How to protect your money

To calm down, it is enough to remember how the bureaucratic machine in the country actually works. If you are accidentally disconnected from the clinic, it is unlikely that anyone will care enough about this to inform you. You would just find out about it when you went to the doctor. And, of course, you don’t have to pay any state duty for joining a healthcare institution, it’s free.

Nevertheless, it is worth enabling two-factor authentication in your State Services account without waiting for a confrontation with scammers. Then, if the login and password fall into the hands of attackers, they still will not be able to use them.