The CARE office will be closed on Tuesday, December 24, 2019 and re-open on Thursday, January 2, 2020 at 8:00 AM.  If you require immediate assistance, you may contact any of the following resources:

 

1)      UCI Counseling Center at (949) 824-6457.  The Counseling Center will provide 24 hour access to counselors by phone when not open for in-person visits. 

2)     Waymkers’ 24-hour hotline at (949) 831-9110.   Waymakers is a local organization that provides helpful resources & referrals for survivors of sexual assault.

3)     Human Options 24-hour hotline at (877) 854-3594.  Human Options provides resources, safety and support for individuals experiencing relationship abuse.

4)     The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (OEOD) provides information about filing a criminal complaint or pursuing a complaint through the campus disciplinary process as well as resource information. 

5)     The UCI Police Department at (949) 824-5223 is available to take reports 24 hours a day.

 

The CARE office will re-open at 8:00 AM on Thursday, January 2, 2020.

How does webcam blackmail work?

 

A person with an attractive profile on a dating website or social media site will initiate contact and/or a friend request. The scammer will use fake pictures and other social media accounts to look as real as possible. Once added, the scammer will retrieve personal information like contact information, lists of friends and family members, colleagues, classmates and photos through continued conversation and profile data. The conversation will then turn “naughty” and move towards communicating on the webcam. The scammer may be interacting live or they may use a pre-recorded video, which tricks the victim into believing this person is real. They engage in a more “adult” webcam game and throughout this, the scammer will be recording the victim’s actions. After video of the victim is recorded, the video will go black and the scammer reveals themselves and begins the blackmail. Once the scammer is in possession of a private video which involves nudity, masturbation, etc and has access to personal information, they will request the payment of money in exchange for not spreading the video to your contacts or online. Fear is the scammer’s best ally in these situations.

 

Safety tip: Prior to accepting new friend requests, check your privacy settings to protect personal information and do not engage in sexy webcam video chats with strangers to prevent this from happening to you. If it has happened to you or someone you know, the following recommendations have been reported helpful by other victims of this type of scam:

 

1) Cut off all contact with the scammers. Terrorizing you is the scammer’s best weapon to get you to pay the amount requested.

 

2) Do not pay the amount request. This can encourage continued threats and harassment for more money.

 

3) If possible, delete your accounts and change your phone number. If you cannot delete, do not respond to any messages.

 

4) Make sure that your account is secure and adjust the privacy settings so that no one can see your friends. You can also contact your Facebook friends and let them know that a hacker will try to make contact with them and to not click on anything they send.

 

5) Remember that you can always come to the CARE office and speak with an advocate for support.

 

6) Contact the police department.

 

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