@noted this has clearly been written by ChatGPT. The author has copy pasted a prompt and asked for a professional sounding response

Update: suicidal blackmailed friend

I made a post long ago about my friend who was suicidal because of blackmail and extortion. In his case, he actually used parts of the essay they did for him so they had leverage.

He has bounced back extremely well. He talked to the university once the scammers contacted them and the university shut it down on the spot and said "okay don't do it again and take care of yourself".

The scammers kept contacting him anyway and every single time they did, he sent them this (see photo attached)

I told him again and again not to do this but it worked! They've left him alone. Just thought I'd add some humor to this forum and update everyone.

Could you resend it? It appears blurred. Glad the scammers are off your back! Their emails and language were so scary, just their tone ruined my day.

What is the status on the blackmail? Have they tried to contact you? If you look at some previous posts here you'll see that I was also blackmailed recently so wanted to know. In my case they have backed off

Hi there! I believe I am qualified to reply here because I've been in a similar situation. Immediately contact legal services at your school. Cut off all contact with the blackmailer, send them to your spambox. If it is not a university email, then just delete the email address itself. This is an emotional game so it's best you keep yourself together. They did contact my university and I did have to go through the dishonesty proceedings, however I think that in this case the blackmailers were new to the game and reported me too early thus losing their chance to get anything my from me. Let's hope the blackmailers you are dealing with are experienced and are bluffing. They may even send you fake emails that look like they are from the university. Hold your cool. My advice here is to explain all this to a lawyer at your school or hire one. You'll take a hit financially but it is much better than living in the state of mind that you are. Your lawyer will be aware of the laws in your country/state and will know how to navigate the educational system. This scam is popular in Australia and educators know about it but it is still unheard of at reputable institutions in Europe and the US so if anything your institution may even be shocked if they find out what is happening to you. That's what happened to me. I did edit my essay so my risk of getting in trouble was not as high, however what happened was that my university focused more on the existence of the scam itself than my actions. They are thinking of all this at a systems level, not individual like we do. Our relationship with them is simple, it's ONE university. But if you look at it from their perspective, they have to consider issues at the level of thousands of students.

I went on a rant there. To summarize, contact your schools legal advocacy or student council group. Good luck and please let us know what happens.

Thank you all for your replies and advice :) I'm so glad I found this forum.

Blackmail case update: school's decision

Hi everyone, I just wanted to provide an update about my blackmail case. The blackmailers reached out to the university TOO EARLY in their process and basically ruined any chances of getting money from me. The university did initiate a case against me however when they read the threatening emails and texts, saw the photoshopped emails, saw the made-up 'case numbers', etc. they decided to drop it because they realized that the scammers would win if the school did anything to me. They want to remove the FEAR out of the student's mind so that they stop paying these scammers. I was let off with a "don't do this again" warning and the school sent out a PSA telling everyone about scams like this targeted at students.

My tips:

1) Maintain your cool. Do not write emails/or call your school in an attempt to tell your side of the story, let the school approach you (if they even do that).

2) Leverage your school student advocacy group and legal team for students

3) DO NOT PAY THE BLACKMAILER

4) Keep evidence of chats, threatening messages to show your school. High chances are they will be more concerned about your safety and mental health.

5) Use forums like this to find legitimate writers

Feel free to reply to this post if you are in a similar situation and need guidance. I cannot guarantee a similar outcome but I'll try my best to provide a perspective in light of my recent experience

P.S: Another thing that helped me and this is entirely a personal decision. I told everyone I was scared of telling about this: my parents, friends, employer. I had heard that scammers sometimes also reach out to relatives, especially if it is a younger person like me who is dependent on parents. Once you tell everyone, the scammer just gains more enemies. I know this can be hard but I choose to look at it as a character-strengthening situation and just did it!

Thank you for your kind wishes! I'll keep everyone here updated. I wonder why they follow through so often...they're losing business 😂

You make a good point, I certainly do not want my name and active email address used. Thank you! I think I'm going to completely delete that email address and inbox.

Thank you for your post, that really helps me and other students here. Thank you also for your prompt reply!! I googled this security alert and it said it's common and can happen when any app/service we're connected to has a data breach. Here's the thing, I've blocked them and I don't read their messages anymore but they don't know this. I'm too scared to open my spam box because their language is so threatening and I have other stuff going on in my personal life so I just don't want to deal with the added anxiety. If I cancel my email and change my phone number, won't they get frustrated and start harassing me on LinkedIn or other online profiles like Facebook? Sometimes it feels like it's a good thing that they have this open line of communication that keeps them busy. Kind of like giving a kid a toy phone. What do you think?

I did turn in the paper but with some changes. I say they made a mistake because now they can't blackmail me! My lawyer has a good relationship with the university and has told them about this scam already so the university will not be responding to the scammer. They have also issued an alert to all students telling them about this scam. Do you really think I should change my phone number too? I have it in so many places it feels like a huge huge task haha, but I'd do it for my own safety any day.

@noted that is so so kind of you. Your words are relieving. Once my account is older (tomorrow) , may I email you? There's a lot that cannot be shared online in case the scammer is reading these

I would be careful to ensure that any affiliation such as this does not get you caught up in any academic dishonesty proceedings that convict you of abetting. Also, make sure that any payment made from them to you is secure, do not give out your bank details. If you are an international student you are not permitted to work off campus (at least in the US).

@noted Could they do email spoofing and make the sender email address look like the actual email address of a real person from the school ?