Snapchat scam looks to extort users for money and sex acts, deputies say
If friends contact you and say they’re locked out of their Snapchat accounts, don’t answer.
It’s likely a scammer wanting to extort you for money and sexual acts, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said they’ve recently seen a string of Snapchat scams targeting teenage girls in the Florida county.
Here’s how the scam works, according to Escambia deputies:
A scammer posing as your “friend” contacts you through the app and tells you they’ve somehow been locked out of their own Snapchat account and need your help to get back in.
How can you help?
By giving them your account’s username and password.
If you give them the information, they immediately log in to your account and change your password.
The scammer, or group of scammers, will then have access to your app’s private photo collection and personal information, which can include your name, birthday, phone number or email.
They’ll also have access to your friends’ list — and if you have a business account for ads, they could even gain access to your credit card information.
Once you’re locked out of your account, you’ll then receive a text message demanding money via CashApp, according to deputies. If you don’t comply, the scammer threatens to post the private pictures you have in the app on the account’s public page.
At least one victim sent the requested money, the sheriff office’s wrote on Facebook last week. The scammer then gave the girl access to her Snapchat account “for a few seconds” before kicking her out again.
Deputies did not disclose how much money the teenage girl lost.
The scammers then demanded more money, and when the victim refused, they posted her private pictures on the account’s public page and sent her screenshots as proof, according to deputies.
She was then asked to FaceTime the individual and perform sexual acts, but she refused, according to the sheriff’s office.
Other victims, who are all teenagers, told deputies they also refused the demands.
Snap Inc., the company that owns Snapchat, told the Miami Herald in an email that it has a “zero-tolerance policy” toward scams, bullying, harassment and intimidation on the app, and that those actions are prohibited by their Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.
Users who are found to be violating the rules could have their accounts terminated and the “offending” content removed, the company said.
Anyone with information about this Snapchat-related scam is asked to call police. App users who believe they have been hacked can contact Snap for assistance at https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/i-need-help/.
You can also visit the app’s Safety Center online for information on how to do in-app reporting and other safety features.
