Police are warning women to beware of what they share on Snapchat after seeing a rise in the number blackmail threats issued by users.
Snapchat is an application that allows users to send videos and pictures that self-destruct after an allotted time frame, ranging from a few seconds up to 24 hours.
The app has 100 million dailyACTIVE
users and records about 4 billion daily video views.
users and records about 4 billion daily video views.
Speaking on the sidelines of GITEX Technology Week, Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, director of the Smart Services Department, Dubai Police, said: “There are a lot of tools where you can download the pictures and videos from Snapchat, regardless of whether your profile is public or if you are sending snaps privately to users.”
He said snapchatters are under the misconception it is safer to use because posts last a brief amount of time before they disappear forever.
“The photos and videos do not disappear,” he warned. He explained: “People can download and save them. Those are the cases we are seeing a lot.
“Like for example, a young girl, maybe a teenager, maybe an adult, will send photos or short videos and think the person has seen it once and it’s over.
“But the guy then downloads it and threatens to post it online or perhaps broadcasts it online anyway.
“It is very common. If it is a girl under 18, her parents report it, otherwise the women come to us directly. We locate the suspect and then the case goes to court.”
Razooqi said users also need to be aware that the app has recently introduced the option to buy ‘replays’. He stressed users should be cautious about what they post across all channels.
While Snapchat blackmail is on the rise, he saidFACEBOOK and Skype are the most common channels for online extortion. He said: “I’ll give you an example: There’s a guy introduced to a girl.
and Skype are the most common channels for online extortion. He said: “I’ll give you an example: There’s a guy introduced to a girl.
“They start chatting onFACEBOOK. Then he says why don’t we Skype together?
. Then he says why don’t we Skype together?
“They go on Skype, talk to one another and then he’ll say why don’t you turn on your camera? And then you know what happens. The bad guy then records those events and calls back later to blackmail her… pay me such and such amount of money or I’ll put this on YouTube or other social media channels. It happens a lot.”
It is illegal to download and post someone else’s pictures, he added.
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