One victim kept saying to me over and over again, “Now I’m being blackmailed.”
The client had taken steps to hide his identity. He did not use a face photo on the hookup app, and when they exchanged contact information, he gave the person a burner phone number.
A burner number is a number you can get through an app that is not directly connected to your regular mobile number.
The problem was that the blackmailer tricked him.
The blackmailer claimed he kept trying to text the burner number, but the messages were not going through.
The client made the mistake of giving him an email address.
That email revealed his first and last name.
Once the blackmailer had his real name, he searched online and located the client’s social media accounts, spouse, employer, and other people connected to his life.
A Burner Number Did Not Protect His Identity
The client believed he had done everything right.
No face photo.
No regular mobile number.
No immediate connection to his real identity.
But the blackmailer only needed one mistake.
The email address connected the anonymous hookup conversation to his real life.
Blackmailers can be resourceful. They search bits and pieces of information until they find the connection they need.
A name.
An email address.
A telephone number.
A social media profile.
An employer.
A spouse.
Once they make that connection, the blackmail changes.
The threat becomes exposure.
Hookup App Blackmail Happens Across Platforms
App blackmail is a huge problem.
It may begin with Grindr blackmail.
It may begin with Sniffies blackmail.
It may begin after a secret relationship on Ashley Madison.
Read:
Ashley Madison Blackmail Gets Worse Once Facebook Is Found
It can also begin through sugar daddy arrangements, private dating platforms, social media, or other hookup apps.
The platform changes.
The objective does not.
The blackmailer wants to identify you, find the people you are afraid of losing, and use that fear to demand money.
Men With Something to Hide Become Profitable Targets
Many of the blackmail cases I deal with involve men who are married, have careers, own businesses, or have something private they do not want exposed.
That makes them attractive targets.
The blackmailer may search for:
- a spouse
- family
- coworkers
- an employer
- clients
- social media contacts
- professional connections
The more they learn, the more pressure they can create.
I Take Over the Blackmail Threat
I am Frank M. Ahearn, The Blackmail Fixer.
If you need help with blackmail, I take over the communication, stall the demands, and work to prevent exposure to your family, career, or private life.
In this case, the client felt like he had done everything possible to protect the people he loved and his online reputation.
One email address changed everything.
If you are playing online, protect your identity at all costs.
If you are already being blackmailed, do not panic.
About Frank M. Ahearn
I began my career as a skip tracer and social engineer. My job was finding people and understanding how small pieces of information connect someone to their real identity. Later, I reversed that work and moved into privacy, disappearing, romance scams, and blackmail.
Today, I work directly with people facing exposure threats.
No staff. No scripts. I take over.
Blackmail Survival Books
The Self-Help Guide For Stopping Blackmail
How To Prevent Exposure And Get Rid Of The Blackmailer
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia
Blackmail Survival Manual: 10 Rules Before You Pay or Panic
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia
Grindr Blackmail Survival Manual
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia
Ashley Madison Blackmail Survival Manual
Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia
Contact Frank: FA@FrankAhearn.com