Blackmail Scam: Pay for Daughter’s Counseling
There is a very common scam making the rounds.
It works like this:
You are on a dating site and begin messaging with a woman. This might be a site like Plenty of Fish (POF), Tinder, Seeking Arrangement, Sugar Daddy, or Adult Friend Finder.
The conversation quickly advances, and the woman will ask for your cell phone number. She may then instigate or participate in sexually explicit text messaging or a conversation. Photographs may also be requested or exchanged.
Everything seems to be going well, in fact very well. But then a few hours later another call comes in.
This time it’s a man, and one claiming to be the father of the woman. He says that she is actually a minor, and that you have been having inappropriate, and even illegal, communications with her. She is now so upset and distraught about what you and her talked about she has had to enroll in a counseling program.
The father goes on to say that this counseling program is expensive, and it should be your responsibility to pay for it. He says that if you pay a few thousand dollars he won’t press charges.
Another call comes in later from a different man. This one is a police detective. Says that the messages were illegal since the girl was underage, but the father won’t press charges and this can be resolved out of court if you go ahead and pay.
These callers can be very persistent, calling multiple times per day. The threat is that you will be arrested for child pornography (for receiving explicit photographs), or sending pornography to the child, or having just a conversation with an underage girl.
If this sounds familiar, here’s what you need to know:
That this is almost certainly a scam;
That you should never give them your real name, address, employer, or any identifying personal information;
That you should stop communicating with them. Do not answer further calls, do not respond to further text messages or e-mails.
Do you still have questions about what is happened or your rights? If so, we are here to help you. Our attorneys are available to discuss your situation in a confidential and completely privileged consultation. Because this scam operates nationwide, scheduled paid telephone consultations are available (usually on the same day). At the end of that consultation we will give you a written opinion from an attorney as to whether or not your situation is a scam. For many this can be invaluable peace of mind.