It's happening more often than we think: not just teenagers, but adult men and women, falling prey to the online scam of 'sextortion.' It starts with a fake profile on say, Facebook or Match dot com. They soon develop an intimate relationship with someone, trust grows and then they ask for lewd photos or videos.
A Western New York firm, Cybersleuth Investigations, was recently launched to tackle the damage sextortion has caused many adults not just in New York, but all over the world. Its CEO, Terry Evans, says there are a few ways to protect yourself from this type of scam.
"Make sure you know that the persona you're dating is real. That's number one. Number two, don't post personal information online. There is no such thing as a delete key. It never goes away," said Evans. "They use that information to gain familiarity."