Scientists theorists have derived a single formula according to which by blackmail I understand any threat emanating from a person in the form of compromising or worse, slanderous revelations, which may or may not correspond to reality at all, but can greatly damage the reputation of this or that person.
The purpose of such blackmail is primarily extortion.
Any money, property, etc. This is the objective side of this act.
Of course, the victim of blackmail suffers not only material, but also moral harm. Just imagine how much injustice this person suffered in this situation, how many experiences passed through his nervous system.
Blackmail can lie in wait for us at every turn, including on the Internet, and it is often associated with other crimes. Most often, his companion is extortion .
It is extortion that comes to the fore when the blackmailer begins to demand a monetary reward for his silence or some other things and services.
Social danger
Of course, blackmail is dangerous . Its main danger lies, first of all, in the fact that it corrupts society.
More and more people, having felt the taste of easy money, are trying to get their hands on it.
Another dangerous consequence of blackmail is the violation of the moral peace of citizens. After all, every unfulfilled demand of the blackmailer threatens family discord and other not the most pleasant consequences.
The most important social consequence is the decomposition of a person’s personality and pressure on his psyche . After such an incident, people become withdrawn and not sociable. They stop moving in society and withdraw into themselves.
After the dissemination or threat of dissemination of unpleasant facts about him, a person begins to think that everyone around him knows or, at least, guesses, points and laughs. Such behavior leads to all kinds of mental illnesses .
In some cases, blackmail leads to suicide.
The incident in Ryazan will remain in the memory of local citizens for a long time. A sixteen-year-old girl met a group of guys somewhat older than herself. As is usual with girls, I fell in love with the most unhinged hooligan of all.
The lifestyle of her chosen one seemed romantic to her, but in reality it consisted of daily assaults in dark alleys for the purpose of robbery, and then drunkenness.
At one of the drunken parties, the girl drank too much, and in the morning she was looking at too explicit photos on her boyfriend’s phone.
The young man grinned disgustingly and stated that he demanded a certain amount every week in exchange for the photos not being published.
Love didn’t work out, but it turned out to be a very instructive story, the main character of which, fearing the punishment of her parents and the condemnation of everyone around her, began to regularly steal money from her loved ones and give it to her boyfriend.
When the relatives realized where the money was going and demanded an explanation, the girl completely withdrew into herself. Threats that the payment deadline had come and there were no funds followed immediately. After being between two fires for a couple of days and not finding the right solution, the girl swallowed sleeping pills. It was not possible to save her.
The photo was never seen, but the unlucky blackmailer was charged with incitement to suicide.
Types of blackmail
Being a broad concept that reflects a person’s coercive behavior in relation to any sphere of life, blackmail can be divided into several types. The most commonly perceived blackmail is extortion, which involves the transfer of material property to another person under threat to the life, reputation or health of the person himself or his loved ones. This also includes the disclosure of unwanted information, publication of provocative photographs, intimate videos and correspondence.
Emotional blackmail is a type that is most often encountered at the everyday social level. This category, unlike extortion, is practically not reflected in the legislation, but is a big topic in the categories of psychology.
Blackmail on an emotional level is the most striking and severe form of manipulative behavior used by loved ones. So a person can threaten to change his attitude (stop loving, helping, talking) or social role (divorce, leave, commit suicide). It is best to stop such tendencies at the initial stage; sometimes this may require the help of a psychotherapist.
Despite the fact that emotional blackmail is not regulated in any way by law, it can lead to equally tragic consequences. This is how the victim experiences personality changes (depression, increased levels of anxiety, neuroses, panic attacks, pathopsychological conditions develop). If the situation is not stopped in time, then in addition to mental disorders of the victim, the blackmailer’s actions can worsen and ultimately lead to situations that imply criminal liability. Starting with verbal intimidation, blackmailers increase the degree of their influence by including physical violence and threats to the victim’s vitality. These actions are considered as physical blackmail.
Blackmail on someone else's behalf or anonymously is the most difficult from the point of view of stopping attacks, since it is not clear who the initiator is and how to influence him. This type is becoming increasingly popular with the spread of various social networks and other Internet resources, where you can hide your identity, but at the same time easily get to the victim’s data.
And the last type of blackmail is lifelong, happening to those who begin to give in and fulfill the demands of the blackmailer. The problem is that once a person gets what he wants, he will not stop, because information, data or knowledge, the ability to fulfill the promised threats are still in his hands.
How to react?
Blackmail should not go unanswered. If such behavior is allowed, it will soon become acceptable in society, and everyone will consider it their duty to enrich themselves from someone else’s misfortune. We don't need such a reassessment of values in society, so let's look together at the importance of responding to such behavior.
Of course, your first reaction will be shock. Shock, first of all, to all actions that are carried out in your direction. Then it will be replaced by panic.
You should not panic under any circumstances, because more than ninety percent of the wrong decisions made in this situation were made as a result of a powerful panic attack and fear.
You must pull yourself together and mentally talk through the whole situation to yourself. So, you are being blackmailed, this is bad. However, what is the way out of this difficult situation? Of course, it is necessary to report to law enforcement agencies . You will have to be a little frank and tell law enforcement officers about the information that they are threatening to show to the world.
You must draw up a statement and testify about the person who is directly blackmailing you. Only after this can you easily calm down and wait for the result. If you know the offender and you have copies of your correspondence, a recording of a conversation or a witness who will confirm the fact of blackmail, then the deal is in the bag.
What it is
Blackmail is the desire to take possession of other people's goods in a formally legal way, when a person seems to voluntarily give what is required, but is emotionally forced to do so. It is in the context of this moment that the actions of the blackmailer are equated to a crime. Typically, blackmailers' demands are excessively high relative to the usual standards of payment and gratitude - such a high price is achieved by putting pressure on the most significant and vulnerable areas of the victim.
In the legislative framework, blackmail is not considered as a category of crime, but exclusively as a means of committing it. At the same time, the list of crimes committed with the help of blackmail is quite wide. This may include extortion of material components, coercion to certain intimate (direct sexual intercourse, photographs and videos of an erotic nature), political (voting for a specified candidate, promoting a necessary law) or social behavior (choosing communication, visiting places and activities instead of a person).
Blackmail is always based on ultimatums and manipulations, and has varying degrees of manifestation and severity of consequences. Considering this phenomenon to be exclusively a problem of rich people with an unclean reputation, many are mistaken, periodically also being victims of blackmailers.
There are more than enough examples of blackmail in everyday and family situations. This includes threats from lovers to commit suicide if they are abandoned; this can also include threats against a new passion or the beloved himself, as in many stories of literature and life. Parents blackmail their children with their health, clutching at their hearts every time they disobey or choose behavior options that do not suit their elders.
Children blackmail their parents by leaving home, going on hunger strikes and committing criminal acts if they do not provide adequate financial support or control too much. Men tend to resort to financial blackmail in order to control the behavior of their wives, who depend on him in matters of money, while wives can also play similar games, only on the other side, refusing sex if their whims regarding purchases are not fulfilled.
Such everyday examples rarely come to the attention of law enforcement agencies and in many families are considered something normal and even a method of education. Options when this crosses the line and a real threat to life is felt can provoke the victim to seek help if she has not been in a destructive relationship for a long enough time and is able to assess reality adequately.
With any type of threat, it is worth understanding that the aggressor is counting on the maximum emotional reaction of the victim, that is, fear. Those cases when the person being blackmailed against the backdrop of passion begins to blackmail in response can reach an extreme level of conflict, when both parties keep their promises, while there is no true desire to cause harm. So, in response to threats about the end of life, a person can promise to kill himself in the same way and, driving each other, inflating emotional tension, a fatal outcome can occur for both participants, despite the fact that the first wanted a romantic happy relationship, and the second freedom. When starting such a game, not a single blackmailer wants to carry out his threats, but only to receive the announced benefit, and only the impulsive behavior of the intended victim can provoke him to carry out what was said.
How to behave with a blackmailer?
You should not try to negotiate with a blackmailer. Such people act on the principle of hit or miss. Beliefs won't help .
However, you can try to come to an agreement only in one case - if you want to prolong your communication in order to simply gain precious time and provide information about the blackmailer to law enforcement agencies.
Never listen to what a blackmailer tells you.
He will begin to convince you that it is in your best interests to bring him money and that your relatives will be saddened if they find out that such information about you has been spread. Don't listen to these words. In fact, everything is extremely simple - the blackmailer is trying to influence your psychology using pressure and persuasion. Don't fall for this kind of behavior. Build your line and stick to it.
How to recognize an emotional manipulator?
Giving in to blackmail, no matter how much you value the relationship, will cost you more. The blackmailer will feel his power and will manipulate you daily. If you are being blackmailed, you need to learn how to resist it. First, learn to clearly recognize “emotional pressure” in the behavior of loved ones. Answer the questions: Do your loved ones do the following:
- Do they promise to make your life difficult if you don't comply with their demands?
- Are they threatening to break off your relationship if you don't give in to them?
- Do they say that they will be indifferent to their health or will commit suicide?
- Look depressed when you don't do what they want you to do?
- Constantly ignore/not consider your needs and desires?
- Do you make generous promises, linking their fulfillment to your “correct” behavior, but rarely follow through?
- Do they accuse you of being selfish, uncaring, greedy, insensitive, or uncaring if you don't do what they want?
- Do they shower you with praise when you give in and are offended when you do things your way?
- Do they appeal to a sense of pride, self-esteem, professional competence?
If you answered “yes” to even one question, you are being blackmailed!
How to get rid of a blackmailer?
In order to get rid of the blackmailer, you can simply ignore him. Yes, of course, in a fit of anger he will throw out his anger along with information, but he will not be able to do anything more in your direction. An instructive incident occurred in Moscow.
After drinking heavily at a party with colleagues, one decent family man remembered practically nothing in the morning. Naturally, he did not make it home, but fell asleep in the office on the sofa. An employee standing nearby hinted at a stormy night.
The family man began to say in horror that he could not cheat on his wife. Rushing home, he began to talk about how he fell asleep from fatigue. At this time, his pretty colleague began calling on the phone and demanding a significant sum of money to save the family. She said that she had revealing photos and videos and they could see the light of day.
The family man did not want to take money from his children and, after being depressed for several days, decided to take a risk and told his colleague that she could begin her attack - she would not wait for the money.
One time, a colleague called the wife of a family man and spewed complete nonsense, which the married woman did not believe, because trust comes first in this family.
And later everything calmed down completely. The colleague simply didn’t have any photos or videos.
