Two years ago I was extorted. I was on a dating app and talked with a woman. Nothing sexual or anything like that. All of a sudden the woman asked if I was interested in “services”. I said “no thank you” and blocked the person. The next day I got texts from the supposed “pimp” claiming that I needed to pay for the time I wasted his girl on that app. I initially ignored it but then kept getting texts and he was threatening to send men to hurt my family and mentions my sister’s and mom’s full name. (Later I found out that this is super easy to find out and anyone can do it). So, I freaked out. They claimed that if I sent $500 then they would leave me alone.
My biggest mistake is that I complied. I regret it till this day. It was sent to the Dominican Republic via wire transfer (they were using a fake number that used the same area code where I live in, which is why I became so afraid). After that, I called the police to file a report. I gave up as much evidence as possible and could not retrieve the money anymore.
I know this HAS to be explained to my investigator. I just called the sheriff’s office and they just gave me a copy without asking for any info besides the case number, so I imagine this can be easily found by an investigator. I want to be as proactive and upfront about it as possible. Is there a portion of the SF86 form where I can explain this? How much of a problem will this make my case to get a secret clearance? After reporting to the police I reported the account and deleted the dating app, changed my phone number, and removed the old phone number to any accounts associated with it. Ever since that day, I became less involved with social media and avoided posting hardly anything. I don’t add anyone I don’t know and even in real life I became much more cautious about who I talk to.
Sorry for the long post.