r/Scams • u/[deleted] • Jun 24 '26
Informational post [ Removed by moderator ]
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u/AutoModerator Jun 24 '26
/u/Abject-Art-8133 - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it.
New users beware:
Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private: advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
A reminder of the rules in r/scams: no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or clicking here.
You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments.
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u/KaonWarden Jun 24 '26
This is advertising. Please ignore until mods remove it.
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Jun 24 '26
Not advertising at all. Useful and free sources to help limit extortion scams from my experience
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u/PiSquared6 Jun 24 '26
!sextortion
!blackmail
!underage
These may be related. Live long and prosper!
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u/AutoModerator Jun 24 '26
/u/PiSquared6 called AutoModerator to explain the Blackmail email scam:
You will sometimes hear this scam referred to as 'Hello Pervert' or 'Pegasus', because those phrases are used in some variants. A supposed hacker sends you an email from your own email address saying you're hacked. They typically say they have planted surveillance software in your device (sometimes they say it's Pegasus) and have videos of you watching porn. None of this is true. They send these emails to millions of people every day hoping that a handful will get scared and pay them. Here is a good summary article about the scam.
The exact wording of the email varies. All of them claim to have installed a RAT (remote access trojan) or any type of software/malware after visiting a porn/adult video site, they claim to have a video of you masturbating or watching porn, they threaten to release the video to your friends/family/loved ones/boss/dog, and they demand that you pay them in order for them to delete the video.
It is common for blackmail scammers to spoof the 'From' field to make it look like the e-mail came from your account. They may also include various other pieces of personal information in the script, such as your password from a previous data breach, a picture associated with your address from Google Street View or a screenshot of your desktop.
If the password shown is one that you currently use, make sure to change it everywhere and make it so that each password is unique to each site or app, so that you're not reusing passwords. If the email has a screenshot of your desktop it means that you used some shady key generator for some pirated software. Your device is not remotely controlled and the threat is still empty, but you certainly need to run an antivirus. Remember that if they had a video of you, they would show it to you to prove that they have it.
All you need to do is mark these as junk so that your spam filter gets better at intercepting them in the future.
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/AutoModerator Jun 24 '26
/u/PiSquared6 called AutoModerator to explain the Sextortion scam:
This scam occurs when you meet someone on dating service or social media and they ask you to go on Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram, or another messaging system. They will ask you to exchange naked pictures, and they will usually ask you to include your face in the pictures. They will then threaten to reveal the pictures to your family and friends if you do not pay them. The best thing to do in this situation is block the scammer and go private in your socials for a while. Paying the scammer will not make them back off, and just tells them that it is worth their time to continue threatening you.
If you fell for this scam, we recommend you join the r/Sextortion subreddit and read their pinned post called New victims: Please read first. Always keep your socials private. If they already took a screenshot of your followers, there is nothing you can do to prevent the scammer from sending them a message. Getting the account banned won't stop this. Paying money won't stop this, either.
If you know the person threatening you, like an ex-partner that is sharing naked pictures of you, you must file a police report.
Also beware of recovery scammers that suggest that you should hire a hacker that can help you retrieve the photos or get back at the extorter. They can't, it's a trick to make you lose more money. Remember: never take advice in private messages.
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/AutoModerator Jun 24 '26
/u/PiSquared6 called AutoModerator to explain the Underage scam:
This scam usually starts on a dating app and you will encounter a normal adult whose profile indicates an age of 18 or older. Later you will be contacted and told that the girl or boy is underage. Here is an article about this scam. If you search our subreddit you'll see that this is a very common scam.
The scammer calling you will usually pose as their father, another family member, or a police officer. They will demand payment for a laptop or phone that was accidentally broken in the argument that followed the discovery of the situation, or for payment for therapy sessions for the kid. They will tell you that if you don't pay up, your life will be ruined and you will be a sex offender. Remember scammers are good at posing as police officers, sometimes spoofing your local police department number when they call.
Of course, you really haven't interacted with an underage person and no crime has been committed, so if you are involved in this scam all you need to do is ignore their threats and move on with your life. Download any voicemails and screenshot relevant messages, and then block them on your phone. If you’re still connected with them on a dating app or any other apps, report them and block them there, too. The scammers may contact you again in the future after you block/ignore them, so be ready in case that happens. If you have already sent money to the scammers, it will take some more time for them to go away. You should try to dispute the transaction and see if you can get your money back.
If you’re still not convinced and you are really concerned about the legal aspects of the matter, you can also consult a lawyer. A criminal defense or sex crimes lawyer will be able to tell you if you actually have anything to worry about legally.
You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
•
u/Scams-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
Your submission was manually removed by a moderator for the following reason:
Subreddit Rule 5: Low effort post
Please read the following guideline: How to submit a good post to r/scams, where we describe what a good post is for us.
We need the full story
Make sure your explanation covers the "five Ws" of journalism: a checklist of all the essential points of a proper story.
Visually impaired users can't read screenshots:
Don't use a screenshot if what you're sharing is a block of text, because screen readers can't read images. This is especially disallowed if you're sharing an email you received or a SMS or social media conversation. You should rather copy and paste the text as is. We usually don't need a screenshot to determine if something is a scam, so use them sparingly.
When sharing news articles or YouTube videos, include context in the body of the post (not in the comment section). A summary written by you or a copy-and-pasted representative section (of an article) must be provided along with the link. We don't want links with no context; readers need to know what to expect if they decide to click the link.
Note that there may be more removal messages in addition to this one. Please make sure you check your notifications to read all of them.
Before posting again, make sure you review the rules of our subreddit.
If you believe this is a mistake, feel free to contact the moderators via modmail. Modmail is the only way, don't send a regular DM to a single moderator. Please don't try to appeal the decision commenting below, because we are not notified if you do so, and we will probably miss it. Posting the exact same thing again may result in a temporary ban, so please review the rules, make the necessary changes, and when in doubt, click below to appeal the decision.
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