Doxing on dating site

This is how Someturva helped.

Hi!

Thank you for telling about your situation to Someturva. So sorry to hear that your photo, email address, phone number, address and information that you would sell sex services have been published on an anonymous dating site. We are glad that you contacted us! Below is our assessment of your situation and a suggestion of what you could do.

Legal assessment

You reported that a picture of you, your contact details and information that would sell sex services have been published on an anonymous dating site. In this kind of situation we are talking about so-called "doxing”, where someone else's personal data is collected and shared online without permission. It seems to be a really serious situation. According to our assessment, a person who has spread false information about you with your picture and contact information online has committed several different crimes.

First, pretending to be someone else on a dating site can be a crime called identity theft. Secondly, it is really humiliating to spread false information online that you sell sex services. The perpetrator must have understood that the act offends you and can cause you many unpleasant consequences. Because of this, such an act can also be a crime called defamation.

You also said that because of this, you have received dozens of contacts and many of them have been really distressing. It is completely understandable that you have started to fear for your own safety. The person who published your contact information online has caused you this by his/her actions, so this person could also have committed a crime called persecution, which is a more serious crime than defamation.

What we recommend you to do

Now it is important that the picture of you and the information about you selling sex services will be removed as soon as possible and that the identity of the person who spread the information online can be clarified. We recommend you to file a police report as soon as possible, preferably today. The only party that has the opportunity to find out the identity of the unknown perpetrator, is the police. Your situation seems very acute - you get messages every day and you don't dare to go outside anymore. Therefore we recommend that you contact the police by phone or by going to the police station.

In order for the police to start investigating the crime as efficiently as possible, it would be good to give the police at least the following information:

• An accurate description of what has happened and where.
• When the act took place, i.e. the exact time of the event (for example, the dates and times of the various contacts).
• Who has been involved in the incident (phone numbers or email addresses of the people who contacted you).
• Any other possible evidence, such as screenshots of the announcement on the dating page, the content of the messages sent to you, and log data of the harassing calls made to you.
• Information that the situation continues and has caused you, among other things, a fear of going outside.

Protect yourself on social media

In addition to reporting a crime to the police, it is also important to report the situation to the administration of the dating site. Besides the law, impersonating someone else usually violates the site's own community rules. We therefore recommend reporting the situation to the administration and asking them to remove the image and your contact information from their site immediately. We recommend that you give them a comprehensive description of the situation and its consequences, so that they understand the seriousness of the situation and can intervene quickly.

Your own well-being is important

It is completely understandable that the constant distressing messages and calls must feel scary. Don’t be alone in this situation. Ask for support from your family members and friends and, if necessary, also professionals. Remember that you have not done anything wrong! It can be just a coincidence that you've been the target of such a nasty and wrong act. The perpetrator has all the responsibility for the situation. If you need support online, the website of Victim Support Finland has an excellent chat service where you can discuss the situation with reliable professionals.

Did you find our answer helpful? If you still need more help, please contact us. We will do our best to help you.

Best regards,
Someturva-team