Blackmailers using deepfake sex videos of victims in extortion trend
Helplines in the Netherlands are getting more reports of people on dating apps being confronted by deepfake videos of themselves performing sexual acts and demands for money or the video will be posted online. “It is a very worrying trend,” the helpline for Offlimits, an expert agency against online abuse, told AD.
For some time, celebrities, women in particular, have been victims of deepfake videos. But fraudsters are now also using the technology to target ordinary people, using photos shared on dating apps. Last year, the Help Wanted helpline of Offlimits received nine reports of this. So far this year, they’ve already received 27.
“It’s normal to ask for photos via these types of apps and social media. That often goes well. But we hear more and more stories of people who unsuspectingly send a photo of themselves, for example, a clothed holiday photo, and are then shocked when they receive a fake video and are blackmailed with it. ‘If you don’t pay this amount, we will put it online,’” said Kira Esparbé Gasca of Help Wanted.
Help Wanted suspects there are many more victims of this extortion trend. “Many people do not report it because they are ashamed. Or because they do not know that there is a helpline. The first advice we give: do not pay. Do not meet with this person and do not send more photos. Then you end up in someone’s power. Not responding is the best thing you can do.”
Making deepfakes like these is a punishable offense, she pointed out. “You are not allowed to make nude images of someone without permission, even if they are made by a computer. You can report the account to the platform, block the user, report it, and press charges. We also recommend that you confide in someone and talk about it. So that people know that this is happening. People often feel ashamed and guilty, but that is really not necessary. Only the perpetrator should feel ashamed.”
The anti-bullying foundation Stop Pesten NU also noticed an increase in fake videos used to extort people. “This is really new. Many people are not yet familiar with AI in this way. They think: it’s only used for fun, and do not see the harm in it. Of course, you are completely shocked when this happens to you,” founder Patricia Bolwerk said. “If you think that the person is serious and is really going to expose you, you can share it with those around you: ‘If you see these kinds of images with my face, let me know.’ Then you feel more in control. You are also sending the signal: it is not me and I will not be messed with.”
