Sextortion Through a Video Call Recording through an app

How it looks through an app, the red flags and what to do.

Scam apps pretend to be a bank, a loan service, a game, a government service or a "support tool", and they ask for access to SMS, contacts, the screen or accessibility. Sextortion Through a Video Call Recording is one of the ways this shows up: A friendly stranger starts a video call, a recording is made and you are threatened with sharing it. Learn what to do and why not to pay.

What sextortion through a video call recording looks like through an app

• A "KYC", "challan" or "bank rewards" app from a link.
• An .apk file sent on WhatsApp or by SMS.
• An app outside the official store that asks for many permissions.

The scammer creates an attractive fake profile and sends friend requests to many men. After a few friendly messages, he asks to move to a video call. Pre-recorded clips or a live accomplice are used on the other side. The call is screen-recorded, and the scammer may also capture your face and the list of your contacts from your public profile, which is easy to find.

Red flags to check on the app

• A stranger quickly moves from friendly chat to a video call.
• The call lasts a short time, and the other person acts oddly or shows pre-recorded content.
• Threats follow with your contacts' photos attached.
• A second person claims to be police or a cyber officer demanding a settlement.
• The app does not come from the official store listing of the company.
• It asks for accessibility, screen overlay, SMS or contacts without a clear reason.

What to do

1. Do not pay and do not reply to the threats; stop all contact and block the account.
2. Take screenshots of the profile, chat and threats, and note the payment details they gave.
3. Tighten privacy on your social profiles and hide your friend list.
4. Call your bank, and call 1930 if money moved.
5. Do not install it. If it is installed, uninstall it now (Settings, Apps).
6. Open Settings and check Accessibility, Device admin apps and Install unknown apps for anything you do not recognise.

Report the fake app to the store it came from and, if money moved, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with the payment reference.
2. Do not pay again; further payments usually lead to more demands.
3. Report the profile to the social platform and ask for the content to be taken down.
4. Tell your bank through its official app and keep all screenshots as evidence.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio Sentinel cannot see or remove videos held by someone else. You can paste threatening messages into Scam check to see the reasons they look like pressure and fake authority, and use Link check before opening any link they send. The Family feature gives you a private end-to-end encrypted chat to talk to someone you trust. Safeavio cannot stop a recording from being shared and cannot recover money.

Full guide: Sextortion Through a Video Call Recording: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, social media, phone call.

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