Men as Victims of Online Crimes: An
Examination
By:
R Rochin Chandra- Author
I M.Sc, Dept. of Criminology & Criminal Justice, M.S. University, Tirunelveli, India &
Dr. K. Jaishankar- Co- Author
Sr. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Criminology & Criminal Justice, M.S. University, India
Objectives
 To illuminate the various forms and corresponding patterns of men victimization
in virtual space.
 To examine the nature of crime (if inflicted by women on men / men on men)
 To highlights certain case studies under this background.
 To provide certain vital recommendations to extenuate this dark form of crime
Online Sextortion vis-à-vis Victimization of Men
Online/Mobile Sextortion- Modus Operandi
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Stage I : Cyber criminals create fake profiles of attractive women in social
networking sites e.g., Facebook
Cyber criminals invite and chat with chosen men victim online
Stage 2: Cyber criminals convince victim to move their chat to a platform
with video capabilities e.g., Skype
Cyber criminals record the explicit video of the men victim
Stage 3: Cyber criminals pretend to have audio problems to convince the
victim to download and install an android app to fix the problem.
The malware disguised as an app steals and sends all of the contact
information stored on victim’s mobile devices to the scammer.
Continue……
7. Cyber criminals threaten to publicly expose the videos if they do
not pay a hefty sum.
“ Give me money or I’ll post your naked video on Facebook and
send it all your friends and family”
Case Study: Online Sextortion -© 2015 Trend Micro
Incorporated
Year/Place: Dec 2013- Jan 2014/ South Korea & Japan
Victims: Korean Men- Over 22 Men
Offenders : The Japan Police arrested two locals (a 43-old-man & a 45years-old man)
Details of testimony by Offenders
Total Money Extorted: (US$29,204.88)
Each Victim was demanded: (US$908.02)
Online Matrimonial Scams Vs Victimization of Men
Online Matrimony Frauds: Modus Operandi
Men fall victims to matrimonial scams in 3 stages:
1.
After posting an impressive online matrimonial profile, posing as a
prospective bride, fraudster befriend chosen men and contact them
through SNS’s & Mobile Phone.
2.
Fraudsters gain victims Confidence i.e. Grooming the men victims
3. Fraudsters introduce a tragic or crisis scenario in order to con money
from the men victims. Collect the money and disconnect all
communications. Create new profiles to target new victims.
Case Study: Matrimonial Frauds- Deccan Chronicle
Internet fraud: Woman cheats NRI on Matrimony site
Date/Place: 4-Jan -2015/ Hyderabad(India)
Victim: Defrauded G. Prashant (NRI Techie) and at least 3 others
Scammer: Women- D. Malavika-Impersonated as Dr Geetanjali
Money conned: 11 Lacs From NRI settled in New Jersey, Transferred in
Malavika’s account.
• Crisis Scenario: She told the victim that she needs money to claim her
property ties worth Crores.
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Men victims of Revenge Porn
What is Revenge porn?/ Is it still revenge porn if
the victim is men?
• Revenge porn is adopted by dumped individuals to satisfy the anger and
frustration from a broken relationship.
• Perpetrators publically defame the men victims by publicizing
consensually shared a) sexted images, b) consented video clippings, c)
images revealing ex-partner in compromising position.
• Victim participate through the malicious cycle.
• Internet can be potentially used by either sex to seek humiliation and
assuage the wave of anger and frustration for the broken-relationship as
a substitute.
• Women use revenge porn in equal lengths.
Modus Operandi: Revenge Porn
Men victims capture pictures of
their nude bodies, bare private
parts or genitals and send it to
the
The girlfriend herself for the third
party may create revenge porn
upload them on various cyber
portals like Facebook, Twitter,
porn sites and various SNS’s, etc
where thousands of people can
see
Upon termination, the private content is
sent to third party./Second recipient,
e.g., friends
Private content is sent to chosen
women partner within the context of
confidential relationship./Stores in her
device.
Case Study: Revenge Porn – The
Guardian
• A former NSA officer and conservative pundit John Schindler was
reportedly placed on leave from his professorship at the Naval War
College when a text message included a picture of his penis was
posted to twitter.
• Adam Kuhn the chief of staff to Rep Steve Stivers (R-OH) resigned
after a woman tweeted alleged pictures of Kuhn’s penis to his
boss’s account.
Female Cyber Stalking Vs Victimization
of Men
• Cyber Stalking –Myths Reversed
• Typically, stalking is perceived to be a masculine act.
• But, in recent times, the Internet has impacted a radical change and
reversed the usual classical notion and afforded women to gain
control and overpower their male victims. In other words, female
stalkers have proved to be a formidable and combative opponent for
their male counterparts.
Continue…..
• Men fall victims to cyber stalking after the termination of a consensual intimate
relationship with their female ex-partner.
• The female stalkers after the abandonment of the relationship often feel a wind of rage
and frustration due to their inability to cope and accept the rejection/break-up.
Therefore, amidst serious emotional disorientation, cyber stalking serves as a prime
substitute to the stalkers aggravation.
• They then switch to numerous vengeful pursuits viz., a) making persistent phone calls
which are intended to threaten the victims, b) leave unwanted messages at their
Facebook page, c) send inappropriate emails, d) create fake profile to lure them into
communication again, e) use surveillance devices (wireless hidden camera) to keep to
a close eye on the victim’s movement etc.
Case Study: Cyber Stalking
• Robert Tower, 38 , a gym instructor from Sevenoaks, Kent, was
stalked by a former girlfriend for 18 months. He had been in a
relationship for two years.
• Unwanted persistent e-mails and messages at Facebook.
• Threatened to kill him and his partner, destroy his life.
Recommendations
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Sextortion
Don’t download any app or file from any stranger you don’t know.
Don’t interact with strangers who request a video conversation or
cybersex.
Matrimonial Frauds
Verify the credential of the user and arrange for a face-to-face meet.
Revenge Porn
Make love but don’t let your partner capture your inappropriate pictures
or videos in phone memory.
Cyber Stalking
To recognize the victimization of men- don’t trivialize or shrug it away.