Instagram users in Mount Pleasant, Pawleys Island fall victim to nude photo scam

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – At least two people have fallen victim to a scam where an Instagram user demands money after exchanging nude photographs and threatens to share them with friends and family.

Georgetown County deputies responded to a Pawleys Island home earlier this month after a man claimed he was a victim of extortion.

The victim said an account on Instagram messaged him and the two engaged in sexual dialogue, and even exchanged nude photographs, according to a report from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the user later told the victim that if he did not pay $1,000, they would begin sending his nude photos to friends. The victim agreed but only sent the scammer $325.

When the user asked for more money, the victim said that was all he could send. Not satisfied, the user said they would begin sending the pictures and demanded more payment.

According to the report, the individual making the threat provided a phone number with an ‘832’ area code. The victim called that number and said a male voice on the other end sounded foreign. The victim blocked the number and deleted his Instagram account.

A similar case was reported last week in Mount Pleasant where a mother told police her son was being blackmailed after sending a nude photo to an Instagram profile.

The user again threatened to post the image on social media and share it with the 18-year-old’s friends and family.

According to a report from Mount Pleasant police, the victim said it began after receiving a friend request from an Instagram user that appeared to belong to an unknown female. The threats began after engaging in conversation and exchange of nude photos.

“The victim advised the suspect sent him a very long message stating that “she” knew everything about him and that he needed to send “her” money or else,” the report stated.

Police say the man initially sent $70 through Venmo, but the scammer demanded $240 for her to delete the photo and leave him alone. The victim complied, but the scammer continued asking for more money.

The victim was advised to block the account and change their passwords. The responding officer said they would draw up warrants for the Instagram user and Venmo.

Instagram reminds users to follow three steps to avoid being the victim of a scam: slow down, spot check, and don’t send.

• Slow down: Scammers often try to create a sense of urgency or threaten you with losing your account or other action. Take time to ask questions and think it through.
• Spot check: Scammers often mention a problem to encourage you to act. Do your research to double check the details before clicking links or downloading files. Does what they’re telling you make sense?
• Don’t send: Scammers often pretend to be from a familiar organization, they may use its employee photo they stole from the internet to convince you. No reputable organization will demand payment on the spot.

They also warn that sharing nude or sexual photos is a violation of the platform’s community guidelines.

“The safest thing you can do is never share nude photos/videos—or anything else you wouldn’t want other people seeing—to anyone, even if you feel very close to the person asking for them,” the social media company wrote. Your options are to report them or block the account.

To learn more about spotting abuse and scams on Instagram, and how to protect your account, please click here.