In life, no one is immune from extortion. You can encounter him in any place and in various forms, starting with serious troubles in which there is a threat to life, ending with extortion of officials, employees of hospitals, schools and other institutions. In most cases, a person who finds himself in a situation where they extort money, does not know what to do. He is discouraged, scared, begins to get nervous and panic.
What is extortion?
It must be remembered that extortion is a crime, an encroachment on other people's property (money), falling within the scope of Art. 163 of the Criminal Code. After analyzing it from an objective and subjective point of view, we can conclude that this form of crime is practically no different from such types as robbery or robbery with violence. But it must be remembered that the demand for money previously borrowed through threats is not extortion, but falls under Art. 330 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Self-government".
What is the difference between robbery and extortion? In the role of violence in these types of crime. In robbery and robbery - this is a way to achieve your goal - the possession of property. In extortion, it is reinforcing a threat with an action that can be both physical and psychological in nature. For example, a teacher, extorting money for an exam, threatens a student that otherwise, having received a poor grade, he will have problems with further studies at the university. Here the violence is psychological in nature.
Threat as a component of extortion
As a rule, extortion consists of two components: claims for property (money) and threats. Moreover, the threat, as indicated earlier, can imply both physical actions (harm to health, damage to property and so on) and psychological (dissemination of defamatory information, communication of any facts or circumstances of life, the creation of certain problems, and so on). In any case, it is a crime to extort money. What to do, where to turn - this question always arises from a person who has become a victim.
Extortion and blackmail
Often, along with extortion, there is also blackmail, which, according to the law, is not an independent type of crime. But in conjunction with extortion acts as an instrument of crime. With its help, as a rule, they are forced to fulfill the required. But blackmail cannot be the threat of death, since this is a separate crime.
Extortion Types
The reality of our life is such that this type of crime becomes widespread. And a citizen is practically not protected, legally illiterate and often finds himself face to face with his misfortune. The following types of offenses are often found:
- Extortion criminals encroach not only on property, but also on property rights. These may be houses, apartments, inheritance. But most crime cases involve money.
- As a form of extortion, actions of officials and employees of various institutions, law enforcement officers are regarded. They can be state or municipal employees, doctors, teachers who promise to perform any duties for a fee.
- There are facts of extortion carried out with the help of a setup. For example, an accident.Many motorists from whom they extort money, threaten to severely punish for what they did not commit, became victims of this type of crime.
- Extortion from minors. This type is common in secondary schools, where a teenager requires money, telephones and other property from his peers or older children.
What to do in case of extortion
First of all, calm down and approach this with all responsibility. Running and hiding from extortionists is not worth it. It is necessary to try to solve this problem and take a series of actions. If you are threatened, extorted money, what to do in this case? There are some simple tips:
- Do not discuss this problem with ransomware over the phone, insist on a personal meeting, this will give you time to calm down and think about your actions.
- First of all, you need to assess the situation, how serious everything is. In some cases, it is sufficient to remind the ransomware of criminal liability. If this does not help, start collecting evidence. Without them, your statement to the police may simply not be accepted.
- Carry a phone or voice recorder with you. This is necessary to collect information and evidence. At the same time, talk with the ransomware, pretending that you agree to its terms, bargain to fetch as much information from him as possible.
- Having collected enough information, contact the police so that there are reasons to initiate a case under Art. 163 of the Criminal Code.
- Try not to be left alone when meeting with a ransomware. If his visits become more frequent, then it is necessary that someone is constantly at home with you. If you are outside, try to speak out loud so that you can get attention. You need witnesses.
Where to go
If they extort money, where to go? This will largely depend on the type of offense. In this crime, the response may be of a different nature. The degree of danger should be taken into account. When life threatens, when they extort money, what should I do? In this case, it is clear to everyone that it is best to contact the police. If you have been refused an application, write to the prosecutor for inaction of law enforcement officials.
When extortion by officials, employees or teachers, teachers, doctors, not everyone decides to write a statement to the police. Where to complain if they extort money, in this case? Here it would be wiser to write a statement to the immediate superiors or to a higher organization. You can and the prosecutor.
When a child falls under extortion from peers at school or on the street, then in this case it is best to try to meet with the parents of those who do this, turn to the school management. If these steps have not yielded results, then file a complaint with the police.
Faced with the action of ransomware on the road, immediately call the traffic police. In most cases, a simple threat to do this causes criminals to retire.
If the extortionists are law enforcement officers, then here is a slightly different situation, more dangerous than the rest. Criminals endowed with authority, access to information about you and your loved ones, who know the law and speak on behalf of the state, can bring a lot of trouble. What if police officers extort money? Here you must be careful. Do not complain directly to the ransomware authorities, in most cases this makes the situation worse. It is best to contact a lawyer who will tell you what to do. If this is not possible, then write to your own security service.
How to protect yourself from extortion
Faced with ransomware, you do not need to think that having paid off from them once, you will be protected from their encroachments in the future. On the contrary. Having learned your attitude to solving problems, having found a pain point where you can periodically press, criminals will not fail to take advantage of this again.
Nothing in life happens for no reason.Often a person by his actions attracts extortionists to himself. This may be material wealth on display; disclosure of information about yourself and your loved ones, especially on the Internet; transfer of personal data.
If you are being blackmailed by any information, in no case do not show how important it is to you. When talking, be calm. Since criminals can simply probe how much their knowledge of you affects personal interests. Well, if there are threats to life, then you want or don’t want to, but you must contact the police.