Blackmailer
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information and may be revealed to family members or associates rather than the general public. These acts can also involve using threats of physical, mental, or emotional harm or criminal prosecution against the victim or someone close to the victim. It is typically carried out for personal gain, mostly for position, money, or property.
Blackmail may also be considered a form of extortion. Although the two are generally synonymous, extortion is taking personal property by threat of future harm. Blackmail is the use of threats to prevent another from engaging in a lawful occupation and writing libelous letters or letters that provoke a breach of the peace, as well as the use of intimidation to collect an unpaid debt.
In many jurisdictions, blackmail is a statutory offense, often criminal, carrying punitive sanctions for convicted perpetrators. Blackmail is the name of a statutory offense in the United States, England and Wales, and Australia and has been used as a convenient way of referring to certain other offenses, but it was not a term used in English law until 1968.
Blackmail was originally a term from the Scottish Borders, meaning payments rendered in exchange for protection from thieves and marauders. The "mail" part of blackmail derives from Middle English male meaning "rent or tribute." This tribute (male or reditus) was paid in goods or labor ("nigri"); hence reditus nigri, or "blackmail". Alternatively, it may be derived from two Scottish Gaelic words blathaich - to protect, and mal - tribute or payment.
Sextortion (webcam blackmail)
Sextortion has been linked and is popular among people who are considered to have power or a position of power (in any form) in any field, such as politics, education, and the workplace. Sextortion, by definition, is a form of blackmail where power is abused and used to extort sexual favors or images from someone in exchange for something that the victim wants or needs, such as a job or a favorable grade. An example of this is webcam blackmail.
"Criminals might befriend victims online by using a fake identity and then persuade them to perform sexual acts in front of their webcam, often by using an attractive woman to entice the victim to participate. These women may have been coerced into these actions using financial incentives or threats." As reported by the NCA (National Crime Agency), both men and women can be victims of this crime. Either crime groups or individuals can carry out this crime.
Cybercrime
Dubai Police in the UAE stated that there have been 2,606 crimes that involve blackmail in the past three years. It is so easy to commit these crimes online because of the internet's anonymity. It is far easier and more encouraging to commit crimes whenever personal identity is hidden. People can give in to temptation since they are anonymous and possibly commit criminal acts such as blackmail. Being anonymous encourages antisocial tendencies and the ability to spread fake news.
References
- Baker, Dennis J., Glanville Williams Textbook of Criminal Law. Sweet & Maxwell: London. (2005) ISBN 978-0-414-04613-9.
- Criminal Law Revision Committee. 8th Report. Theft and Related Offences. Cmnd. 2977
- Griew, Edward. Theft Acts 1968 & 1978, Sweet & Maxwell: London. ISBN 978-0-421-19960-6
- Lindgren, James (1984). "Unraveling the Paradox of Blackmail". Columbia Law Review. 84 (3): 670–717. doi:10.2307/1122502. JSTOR 1122502.
- Ormerod, David. Smith and Hogan Criminal Law, LexisNexis: London. (2005) ISBN 978-0-406-97730-4
- Smith, J. C. Law of Theft, LexisNexis: London. (1997) ISBN 978-0-406-89545-5
External links
- "Blackmail" . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
- Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Blackmail" .
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root