Rugby player blackmailed over explicit content and told his career would be ruined
Online scammers are targeting players and threatening to leak photos of them unless they hand over large sums of money
Scammers are threatening to release obscene images and videos of rugby players unless they receive big sums of money, and this type of blackmail is becoming more common.
Known as “sextortion,” the elaborate plan involves victims sending sexual material to con artists, who frequently take the form of female models asking to trade pictures. When they have the photos, they demand hundreds of pounds or they would leak them to the public or even family members.
Athletes are being more and more targeted due to the spate of high-profile victims that have occurred in recent years. According to Telegraph Sport, “more and more” rugby players, professional football players, and cricket players have fallen victim to these con artists.
“That’s something I have had to help RPA members out more and more with,” Matt Himsworth, a lawyer hired by the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) to battle social media abuse, told the publication about the “huge rise” in incidents.
Not only do they target athletes, but they also target young guys who are coping with the traditional online crime of shame. It’s strange that males are disgraced when images of them masturbating surface, but women are shamed when sex tapes are leaked.
“They will look at an individual’s vulnerabilities,” he stated. It’s possible that you come from a traditional, devout household. or in case you have an open profile. They are depending on their embarrassment if you are a rugby player, and I have experienced this with one guy. They say things like, “We are going to ruin your career.” Their unique weakness is that they have thousands of followers on Instagram and a public profile with a blue tick.
Mr. Himsworth, an employee of the B5 Consultancy firm, went on to emphasize that victims should resist the pressure of the con artists since settling the dispute with big payments is not the solution—rather, it makes matters worse. He went on, “If you give them £300, they’ll be back for £500 next week.” “If they realize they won’t be paid, they move on to the next victim quite fast.
“Do what you like,” was the advice I once gave to a blackmailed rugby player who was a bit of a lad-in-the-bar cliché. Naturally, that was the best thing he could have done because the blackmailer would have moved on to the next victim if he hadn’t felt so much humiliation.
The RPA also employs the lawyer’s firm to help fight abuse on social media, a topic that has gained significant attention following threats of death sent to World Cup referees Wayne Barnes and Tom Foley and the announcement by England captain Owen Farrell that he would be quitting the sport to concentrate on his mental health.
Mr. Himsworth also acknowledged that rugby had a “big problem,” saying that nobody really knows what it’s like to be a prominent figure in the game these days and endure the kind of invasive abuse that players endure.
“The helplessness you experience when you are unable to stop it and are uncertain of when it may occur next. You have guys who are six feet five inches tall and weigh twenty stone. They won’t be approached by someone in a pub who wants to make fun of them.
