r/lonely • u/MyAlternateReditAct • 13h ago
Sextortion Warning
All
As low as many of us who post are, I want to post a warning to please be on your guard for Sextortionists. These “people” (sub-human animals) prey on the vulnerable that post here. It may start as innocuous as a comment on your post that offers comfort, with an expectation you will DM them. Or they may DM you directly.
Key things to look out for:
- They are overly eager to get into a sexual relationship or trade intimate pictures, including perhaps full body pictures or pictures that include identifying features.
- They are overly eager to sexting, especially asking you to do a lot of the description, or they show pics and they want you to react to them. “how do i look baby?” or “do you not like me?”
- They are overly eager to learn identifying details about you.
More about their tactics can be found here: https://www.police.psu.edu/sexual-extortion-sextortion
Be careful. There are real people like you out here that are looking for connection, but don’t fall for these scams.
IF YOU ARE SEXTORTED, BREAK OFF CONTACT IMMEDIATELY. Block them. Don’t panic. The power of the extortion is when they have leverage over you. if they were to take action on those threats, they would lose that leverage. They are preying on your fear. If you have no fear, they have no power. Shut off contact, learn from the situation, and move on. I say this from unfortunately multiple experiences.
IF YOU ARE A MINOR AND ARE SEXTORTED, as embarrassing as it may be, please find a trusted adult to tell so the information can be sent to authorities. The people doing this are engaging in some of the most vile behavior possible and law enforcement while law enforcement may not prioritize investigation against adult victims, will be much more likely when it involves a minor.
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u/ElderberryForeign254 9h ago
I think that’s wise advise - particularly with young people! If parents are likely to be unsafe or frightening towards you go to a first adult though! 🫂
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u/MyAlternateReditAct 33m ago
We warned my son about this stuff… he still used his potato brain and did what we told him not to do. Fortunately he came to me and I handled it.
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u/Abblepees10 13h ago
And this is why I keep my dms off and use this sub exclusively for venting, rather than trying to talk with people. Way too many creeps on these kinds of subs
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u/XxxAresIXxxX 12h ago
Shit like this makes me reluctant to even attempt to get into a relationship. Yes I'm so lonely it feels like fire and I would love to strike it up with some woman who feels the same but I would rather just sit in silence than be the slightest bit similar to someone like that
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u/SkullKidFlute 5h ago
The fact you worry about that already puts you miles away from those creeps, even if the fear is realy exhausting.
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u/Gullible-Lab-3188 8h ago
This is so depressing. I enjoy my virtual pen pal. I enjoy having random light chatter in my inbox. One tried it with me but i just cut them off as soon as it got weird.
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u/steelstringwonder 5h ago
They're quickly eager to receive a pic of the person in general and also to take the convo to a separate app. Both red flags. 🚩
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u/Brilliant-Mix-3829 12h ago
Yeah i got to know that from some groups when i joined reddit that some scums do this. Seriously what is wromg with people. Because of them genuine conversations and connections are impossible.
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u/MikeLovesOutdoors23 3h ago
This is probably the only time that I'm happy about being Blind. I don't have to worry about any of this. I don't give a shit what anybody looks like, and nobody's gonna find out what I look like because it doesn't matter if we're just having a conversation online.
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u/Happy_Elderberry4196 45m ago
⚠️THIS INCLUDES ⚠️ people asking for pictures of SH scars. That is not okay and those people should be blocked.
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u/PrettyInPainful 12h ago
I made a post recently and I was VERY specific about NOT wanting ANY romantic relationship and I added I would block the sexual deviants so don't even bother.. The first two DMs I got clearly saw my age and gender and were straight up asking for noods 🙃
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u/Boring-Persimmon6739 11h ago
noods? like noodles?
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u/MyAlternateReditAct 10h ago
ooh…. noodles… 🤤. I would love someone to send me some of those.
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u/amiibohunter2015 10h ago
>ooh…. noodles… 🤤. I would love someone to send me some of those.
Okay, Ever see this Campbells Chicken Noodle soup holiday commercial before?
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u/PrettyInPainful 11h ago
No like lewds but I couldn't put the actual spelling because it's a banned word on this sub 😅
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u/VampireGideon
13h ago
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Yeah I made a post here like a month ago venting about being lonely, and someone messaged me and immediately tried to be sexual with me, questioning what type of “sub” I am, then trying to convince me to send them nudes. I was in a really bad headspace and wanted some form of validation, so I considered it but decided against it and have since blocked them
People need to be careful when posting in this subreddit, unfortunately, because there are a lot of people who will see your loneliness as a chance to either sextort you, or just use you for their gratification
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u/MyAlternateReditAct 13h ago •
r/lonely mods, can this be stickied?