Stop all contact
Cybercriminals and scammers often try to revictimize people who have been victimized by a cybercrime before. They also sell the information of victims to other scammers. The best way to break this cycle and minimize future harm is to block all contact.
- 1
Block the scammer
Block all contacts that you have for the scammer on all platforms. Block their email, phone number, social media account, app username (i.e. Venmo username) so they can't contact you again.
- 2
Ignore requests from people you don't know
These cybercriminals often have multiple personas, identities, and accounts, so they might try to contact you from one that you haven't blocked. Or they might sell your contact information to another scammer. Ignore any friend request, message, email, or other contact from someone you don't already know.
- 3
Check your privacy settings
Take the time to make sure you adjust your privacy settings so that your accounts stay private. Check social media, fitness apps, financial apps (i.e. Venmo), and make sure that your posts and profile are only visible to people you've connected with, and that you aren't accidentally sharing personal information to the public.
- 4
Consider changing your accounts
If you find that you're getting barraged with lots of incoming messages from people you don't know, you might want to consider changing your email, phone number, or usernames so the scammers can't find you as easily.
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