In the "
SCAM WARNING - Bitcoin Sextortion & Blackmail Scams" topic, why these scams persist was touched upon but not really fleshed out. There, a number of resources were mentioned as possible channels to officially pursue action, or at least lodge a complaint and get it on record.
Unfortunately for anyone falling victim to online or email scams, the referenced entities and authoritative channels are of little use unless a 'crime' can be demonstrated. So, absent money actually changing hands, the fact that exploitation emails are strictly criminal under various
Computer Misuse acts that would have others prosecuted for errant social media posts, the authorities won't record the crime let alone refer to such sexploitation or blackmail emails as being that, a crime.
In the UK for example, in submitting a report about a sexploitation or blackmail email,
Action Fraud, one of the resources referred to in the above link, will pretty much say there's nothing they can do about it.
They will however, capture the report as a data point.
In the absence of meaningful consequences to the owners of sexploitation and blackmail scams then, they'll persist, and we'll just have to deal with it/them ourselves.
Dear [victim],
You recently made a report which we recorded under [ref number].
Home Office Counting Rules set out the circumstances under which we can record a crime and on this occasion the matter you reported to us cannot be classified as a police recorded crime.
Home Office Counting Rules for Fraud and Cyber Dependent Crime can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counting-rules-for-recorded-crime.
What happens next?
Whilst we may not have recorded this matter as a crime, we will still use the information you have provided. Information reports are utilised to enrich the overall intelligence picture which assists with the formulation and refinement of prevention strategies.
If you have any queries regarding this letter please visit www.actionfraud.police.uk/FAQ. If you would like more information on how to protect yourself from fraud and cyber crime, please see the guidance at www.actionfraud.police.uk/support_for_you. You can also register on our partner website www.actionfraudalert.co.uk to receive email alerts about new and emerging crime types.
Thank you again for taking the time to report this matter to us.
We value your feedback, please visit this link and complete the survey: [link]
Yours sincerely,
Head of Action Fraud
(Emphasis added)
