The increase in extortion cases in the Netherlands has rekindled concerns about the role of Snapchat anonymity features. In 2022, Snap Inc., a mother company of Snapchat, received about 10,000 allegations of extortion involving adolescents.
There are dozens of complaints in a few weeks. The victims are students from the Amsterdam schools in the Netherlands, who are being coerced to pay fines from hundreds of euros because they have caused some kind of problem.
“They receive a text message with threats that also include parents or other family members. Then an amount of money is required.”
In some cases, Victims are pressured to provide the names of other teenagers in exchange for “discounts” in the alleged fines. These teenagers will be new blackmail victims. The low -country police repeat alerts and asks all victims to denounce the threats.
“We understand that reporting may be scary, but we encourage victims to contact us. We are here to support them and explore safe options together.”
Complaints can be made anonymously and victims can use an alternative address to maintain privacy. The police also ask that This type of crimes is openly debated in family and among friends to ensure that teens do not feel isolated.
Authorities shared tips prevent new incidents:
- Avoid screenshots of the messages, as this can alert the suspects
- To store the blackmail tests, photograph conversations with a second device
- Date and time have to be visible in the screen photographs
- User name and suspect profile photo should also be photographed
- Define the snapchat account as private
- Do not accept friendship requests from unknown users
The increase in extortion cases in the Netherlands has rekindled concerns about the role of Snapchat anonymity features. In 2022, Snap Inc., a mother company of Snapchat, received about 10,000 allegations of extortion involving adolescents.
