NY Man Claims a Scammer Plastered his sex videos on Pornhub, iPornTV
One of the most embarrassing things that can happen to a person is their nude photographs or sexual videos being posted on line. Now with revenge porn, sextortion and hacked images being sold, these types of incidents are on the rise. One of the most frequently asked questions, is Can I sue if my nude images or sex videos were posted on line without my consent?
Our New York attorneys know that New York law provides remedies that allows victims of revenge porn, sextortion and other unauthorized release of nude or sexual images to sue those that posted the images, as well as the website that hosted the images or videos. NYC Administrative Code 10-180, entitled Unlawful Disclosure of an Intimate Image, is New York City’s “Revenge Porn” and “Sextortion” statute with some caveats and twists. Simply, if you divulge, release, share, or transfer an intimate image of another person without said person’s consent you are potentially are guilty of a crime. If you accidently upload an image from your iPhone to Instagram, Facebook or some other form of social media or inadvertently download a video on your computer to an email, you have not in and of itself committed a criminal act exposing yourself to both misdemeanor and civil penalties. If your nude image or a video of you performing a sex act was posted on line by your partner or by someone who hacked your phone or computer, you can have them arrested and and sue them.
In a recently filed case, a New York man claims that anonymous, online-only sex claims scammers hacked his computer and demanded cash after one amorous 2015 episode of internet intercourse — then plastered hot and heavy videos of him on Pornhub, iPornTV and XVideos without his knowledge. The man didn’t find out he was a sexy screen star until August, he claims in an $11 million Brooklyn Federal Court lawsuit, which identifies him only by the pseudonym “Victor Voe.” His “private images and videos likely have been accessed by millions of users of these websites” before the victim was able to get them taken down, he said in the litigation filed against his unknown, unnamed tormentors.
At the time, the man claims he worked “in a position of trust whereby the revelation of compromising videos and images of a sexual nature would be damaging to his employment and professional status.” The victim claims he moved their interaction to Skype in a bid to be more private, but the “woman” sent him a link to a website he didn’t know, a link the man now believes infected his computer with a virus and allowed hackers access to his files and personal information, including his home address, job and bank info. At the end of their session, the “woman” told him she’d recorded him, had gotten into his computer, knew who he was and said she’d release the clip if he didn’t pay up, he said in court papers. The man refused and “deleted all information he could think of that may trace back to him,” according to the legal filing.
Virtual sextortion surging as more men stay home during coronavirus lockdowns. The scammers made good on the threat and even posted the victim’s social media pics on gay porn sites, said the man, who is heterosexual. When he realized what happened, the victim said he spent $5,000 to “wipe” his digital record and increase his cybersecurity.” The sextortion scam, in which con artists threaten victims seeking online sex with public exposure if they don’t pay up, has been on the rise with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and the lockdowns and shutdowns which followed.
Our New York attorneys who have handled cases under New York City Administrative Code 10-180 and Penal Law 245.15, Unlawful Dissemination or Publication of an Intimate Image anywhere in the state, including New York City, Manhattan and the Hudson Valley counties of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess, are aggressive in representing victims of revenge porn and sextortion.
Now, with the passage of Unlawful Disclosure of an Intimate Image by the New York City Council, should an abuser, extorter, coercer, profiteer or merely some jealous, spiteful and angry ex-lover unlawfully disclose an intimate image without the authority of the person reflected, NYC Administrative Code 10-180 makes it a misdemeanor criminal offense. With a potential punishment allowing for one year on Rikers Island, do not forget that ignorance of this law is no defense. Unlawful Disclosure of an Intimate Image not only protects victims from exploitation and abuse by criminalizing the sharing of their intimate images in any New York City borough - Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island - but NYC Admin. Code 10-180 also provides a civil remedy to compensate victims for the humiliation and professional career damage they suffered, as well as punitive damages, in addition to criminal penalties.
