The FBI has reported a significant increase in sextortion cases throughout the Mountain West region, while the Utah Department of Public Safety saw a record number of extortion and blackmail incidents in the past year.
In 2022, QSaltLake reported on a scam in which Scruff and Grindr users were told that an exchange they had the night before was with an underage boy who, according to the scammer, claimed he had later committed suicide. The scammer demanded money to keep quiet.
According to state data, Utah has seen a steady increase in extortion and blackmail cases over the past five years. As of October 31, 2023, 622 incidents had been recorded that calendar year, surpassing the total for all of 2022 and nearly matching the combined totals of 2021 and 2020.
The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office, which covers Utah, Montana and Idaho, receives dozens of sextortion reports monthly. With the advent of technology and online dating, anonymous extortion scams have become easier to execute. Scammers often threaten to expose private photos unless the victim pays them.
Recent media attention on cases of sextortion involving the website Ashley Madison led Jacob G. (name withheld upon request) to share his experience of being extorted on the LGBTQ+ app Grindr. In April, Jacob exchanged explicit photos with someone on the app, only for the situation to quickly escalate into extortion.
“He demanded that I drive to a gas station and buy $1,000 worth of gift cards,” Jacob said. The extortionist threatened to post Jacob’s photos on a website containing child sexual abuse material, warning that Jacob would face jail time if the photos were found there. “Honestly, it was one of the scariest moments of my life,” Jacob said.
After researching extortion scams and finding similar stories on Reddit, Jacob blocked the extortionist, hoping nothing else would happen. “A lot of friends told me the same thing had happened to them recently,” he said, hoping his story would raise awareness about these scams.
Grindr acknowledged that bad actors sometimes exploit platform features, a challenge faced by all social networks and dating apps. A Grindr spokesperson stated: “Grindr has always taken its role as a connector for the queer community very seriously and is committed to creating a safe and authentic environment, free of scammers, fake and harmful accounts, and spam.” The company employs a dedicated moderation team and machine learning tools to detect and remove offending accounts.
Grindr also provides resources to protect users from scams, including comprehensive safety guides and scam awareness and safety tips available within the app. “We encourage users to report any suspicious behavior and use our video calling feature to connect with other users before meeting them in person,” the spokesperson added. Grindr is committed to supporting authorities in investigating and prosecuting bad actors.
Anyone who finds themselves in this situation should call an attorney. Any further contact with the scammer should be referred to the attorney and under no circumstances should scammers be given money without the advice of an attorney.
You can find lawyers who work with the LGBTQ community at qpages.com/cat/attorneys/.
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