Insidious side of sextortion

SCAMMERS: LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT LOVE

- Hein Kaiser

It's like Groundhog Day when it comes to online romance and sextortion scams. People, especially men, continue to fall for it, no matter the number of warnings.

Behind the fake profiles, fabricated emergencies and stolen photographs lies a manipulation strategy that has changed very little over time. Scammers are not necessarily looking for gullible people. They are looking for people who are lonely, grieving, isolated or simply hoping somebody out there cares.

Psychologist Elize Thesner said perpetrators spend considerable time identifying vulnerabilities before attempting to exploit them. People often imagine scammers as aggressive criminals immediately demanding money, but the reality is more patient.

“They gradually build rapport, trust and emotional connection, often showing interest in the challenges and struggles their target faces,” she said.

What follows those initial overtures is usually a carefully constructed relationship in which the victim begins investing emotionally in a future that does not exist. The scammer becomes a confidant, a source of comfort and eventually somebody whose approval starts carrying emotional value.

“People frequently invest in the future they imagine rather than the reality that exists.