Authorities Issue Alert on Valentine’s Day Sextortion: Criminals Exploit Intimate Photos for Ransom

When she didn’t pay, he posted a picture of her on social media. She says the scammer used AI to make it look like she didn’t have clothing on.

“They actually look for kind, compassionate people who can have attachments… and hope that you’re going to give something up in return,” Maria said.

Authorities say she did the right thing by refusing to pay $3,000 in crypto. She also filed a report with the FBI’s internet crimes division, on IC3.gov.

“Preserve any messages these people are sending you,” Chicago FBI Special Agent Ashley Kizler said. “Obtaining usernames, email names, addresses, don’t respond to the message… and then block that person and don’t respond and report to the FBI.”

The victim says she stopped dating online and turned to an in-person matchmaker, Matchmakers Elite, in Oakbrook Terrace. They said they have been hearing a lot about the AI scams and sextortion scams.

“They’re using actual photos of you and changing it in ways that are unflattering that you don’t want out there,” said Anna Rigali, senior matchmaker at Matchmakers Elite. “They’re making it look like you by using your actual photos and they’re using it to blackmail you.”

Rigali says in-person dating services like the one she runs with her mother will research people’s potential criminal and personal history before clients meet them in person.

“We get enough information that they can actually build a psychological profile on this person, you know, based on different factors, they’re pulling how long they’ve lived at their residences, how long they’ve kept certain jobs,” Rigali said.

“If we start talking about it, it removes the power these people have,” Maria said.

Dating services can cost more money than dating apps. So, anyone dating online should try to meet in-person, in a safe place, shortly after making a connection. If they’re giving excuses not to meet or are trying to move to another app, that’s a warning sign.