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U-M

Sextortion attempts targeting students via Facebook

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University of Michigan DPSS published this notice. Full text is preserved from the official DPSS news page.

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Response
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Institution
University of Michigan
Public R1 · MI
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~51,000 studentsDPSS / U-M Emergency Alert
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Read when and how U-M says it will use U-M Emergency Alert: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatim1553 chars
Two students recently reported to the University of Michigan Police that unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange for not publishing explicit pictures or videos online. Both incidents, which occurred November 12 and 14, began with Facebook friend invitations and soon escalated into online chatting and videotaping before a demand for money was made. If you have received a threat or demand for money to avoid the release of pictures or videos, don’t panic, please immediately contact the University of Michigan Police, even if you’ve already paid money. If you’re not on campus, contact your local police agency. The police will take your case seriously, dealing with it in confidence and without judgment. Don’t communicate further with the criminals. Don’t pay anything and DO NOT DELETE ANY CORRESPONDENCE. Take screenshots of all your correspondence. Suspend your Facebook account (don’t delete it) and use the online reporting process to the sites such as Skype and YouTube to have any video blocked. Also, consider setting up an alert in case the video resurfaces. Here are some precautions you can take to avoid being blackmailed on the internet: - Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are, or who they say they are. - Do not open attachments from people you do not know. - Turn off your electronic devices and web cameras when you are not using them. For more information on sextortion: - Interpol Cybercrime - FBI News - National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Verify this quote
U-M DPSS news / emergency alert pagenews.dpss.umich.edufind archived copies
Transcribed from official news.dpss.umich.edu post HTML.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Two students recently reported to the University of Michigan Police that unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange for not publishing explicit pictures or videos online. Both incidents, which occurred November 12 and 14, began with Facebook friend invitations and soon escalated into online chatting and videotaping before a demand for money was made. If you have received a threat or demand for money to avoid the release of pictures or videos, don’t panic, please immediately contact the University of Michigan Police, even if you’ve already paid money. If you’re not on campus, contact your local police agency. The police will take your case seriously, dealing with it in confidence and without judgment. Don’t communicate further with the criminals. Don’t pay anything and DO NOT DELETE ANY CORRESPONDENCE. Take screenshots of all your correspondence. Suspend your Facebook account (don’t delete it) and use the online reporting process to the sites such as Skype and YouTube to have any video blocked. Also, consider setting up an alert in case the video resurfaces. Here are some precautions you can take to avoid being blackmailed on the internet: - Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are, or who they say they are. - Do not open attachments from people you do not know. - Turn off your electronic devices and web cameras when you are not using them. For more information on sextortion: - Interpol Cybercrime - FBI News - National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree s is present in this DPSS notice.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Source pass 1: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    2. present: Source pass 2: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    3. present: Source pass 3: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    4. present: Source pass 4: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    5. present: Source pass 5: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    6. present: Source pass 6: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    7. present: Source pass 7: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    8. present: Source pass 8: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    9. present: Source pass 9: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    10. present: Source pass 10: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    11. present: Source pass 11: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    12. present: Source pass 12: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    13. present: Source pass 13: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    14. present: Source pass 14: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    15. present: Source pass 15: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    16. present: Source pass 16: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    17. present: Source pass 17: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    18. present: Source pass 18: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    19. present: Source pass 19: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    20. present: Source pass 20: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    21. present: Source pass 21: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    22. present: Source pass 22: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    23. present: Source pass 23: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    24. present: Source pass 24: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
    25. present: Source pass 25: U-M DPSS official notice branding.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree h is present in this DPSS notice.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Hazard pass 1: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    2. present: Hazard pass 2: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    3. present: Hazard pass 3: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    4. present: Hazard pass 4: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    5. present: Hazard pass 5: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    6. present: Hazard pass 6: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    7. present: Hazard pass 7: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    8. present: Hazard pass 8: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    9. present: Hazard pass 9: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    10. present: Hazard pass 10: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    11. present: Hazard pass 11: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    12. present: Hazard pass 12: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    13. present: Hazard pass 13: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    14. present: Hazard pass 14: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    15. present: Hazard pass 15: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    16. present: Hazard pass 16: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    17. present: Hazard pass 17: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    18. present: Hazard pass 18: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    19. present: Hazard pass 19: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    20. present: Hazard pass 20: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    21. present: Hazard pass 21: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    22. present: Hazard pass 22: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    23. present: Hazard pass 23: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    24. present: Hazard pass 24: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
    25. present: Hazard pass 25: Sextortion Warning After Student Reports.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree l is present in this DPSS notice.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Location pass 1: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    2. present: Location pass 2: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    3. present: Location pass 3: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    4. present: Location pass 4: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    5. present: Location pass 5: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    6. present: Location pass 6: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    7. present: Location pass 7: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    8. present: Location pass 8: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    9. present: Location pass 9: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    10. present: Location pass 10: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    11. present: Location pass 11: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    12. present: Location pass 12: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    13. present: Location pass 13: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    14. present: Location pass 14: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    15. present: Location pass 15: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    16. present: Location pass 16: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    17. present: Location pass 17: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    18. present: Location pass 18: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    19. present: Location pass 19: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    20. present: Location pass 20: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    21. present: Location pass 21: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    22. present: Location pass 22: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    23. present: Location pass 23: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    24. present: Location pass 24: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
    25. present: Location pass 25: unknown subjects had attempted to extort money from them in exchange fo.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree g is present in this DPSS notice.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Guidance pass 1: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    2. present: Guidance pass 2: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    3. present: Guidance pass 3: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    4. present: Guidance pass 4: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    5. present: Guidance pass 5: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    6. present: Guidance pass 6: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    7. present: Guidance pass 7: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    8. present: Guidance pass 8: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    9. present: Guidance pass 9: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    10. present: Guidance pass 10: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    11. present: Guidance pass 11: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    12. present: Guidance pass 12: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    13. present: Guidance pass 13: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    14. present: Guidance pass 14: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    15. present: Guidance pass 15: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    16. present: Guidance pass 16: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    17. present: Guidance pass 17: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    18. present: Guidance pass 18: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    19. present: Guidance pass 19: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    20. present: Guidance pass 20: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    21. present: Guidance pass 21: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    22. present: Guidance pass 22: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    23. present: Guidance pass 23: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    24. present: Guidance pass 24: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
    25. present: Guidance pass 25: avoid area, report, or safety tips present.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree t is present in this DPSS notice.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Time pass 1: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    2. present: Time pass 2: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    3. present: Time pass 3: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    4. present: Time pass 4: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    5. present: Time pass 5: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    6. present: Time pass 6: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    7. present: Time pass 7: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    8. present: Time pass 8: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    9. present: Time pass 9: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    10. present: Time pass 10: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    11. present: Time pass 11: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    12. present: Time pass 12: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    13. present: Time pass 13: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    14. present: Time pass 14: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    15. present: Time pass 15: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    16. present: Time pass 16: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    17. present: Time pass 17: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    18. present: Time pass 18: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    19. present: Time pass 19: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    20. present: Time pass 20: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    21. present: Time pass 21: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    22. present: Time pass 22: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    23. present: Time pass 23: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    24. present: Time pass 24: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
    25. present: Time pass 25: 2017-11-12 / timestamps in notice.
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree i is present in this DPSS notice.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Impact pass 1: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    2. present: Impact pass 2: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    3. present: Impact pass 3: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    4. present: Impact pass 4: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    5. present: Impact pass 5: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    6. present: Impact pass 6: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    7. present: Impact pass 7: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    8. present: Impact pass 8: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    9. present: Impact pass 9: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    10. present: Impact pass 10: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    11. present: Impact pass 11: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    12. present: Impact pass 12: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    13. present: Impact pass 13: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    14. present: Impact pass 14: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    15. present: Impact pass 15: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    16. present: Impact pass 16: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    17. present: Impact pass 17: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    18. present: Impact pass 18: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    19. present: Impact pass 19: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    20. present: Impact pass 20: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    21. present: Impact pass 21: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    22. present: Impact pass 22: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    23. present: Impact pass 23: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    24. present: Impact pass 24: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.
    25. present: Impact pass 25: realized or alleged incident outcome narrated.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

University of Michigan DPSS news.dpss.umich.edu official notice archive.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official DPSS notice provides full transmitted alert or security bulletin text.
Outcome
See official DPSS notice for investigation status and community guidance.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
    Sextortion Warning
    news.dpss.umich.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "University of Michigan: Sextortion attempts targeting students via Facebook." Incident of November 12, 2017. Added July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/university-of-michigan-sextortion-warning-2017-2017-11-12/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
michigandpssotherUnder Investigation
Added July 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion