Q: In Montana, if a person doesn’t pay your $ back that’s owed, can you tell tell him you will expose a lie of his. Blckml?
Stepson solicits me to drive from MT to WY to do epoxy counters in his rental. Avoids paying back the $ for almost a year. I see he made a phony website with FOX logos with a phony article he wrote about himself and how his music is taking the northwest by storm, just so he could put on Facebook and have people stroke his phony ego. After him ignoring my calls for my money for a year, I texted him stating I would hop on Facebook and expose the shoddy phony website making him look like a fool if he didn’t pay me my $ back. I wasn’t going to do it, but I knew if his image was threatened maybe he’d finally pick up the phone. Is it blackmail if it was my money I was trying to get back? He retaliated by hacking into my Facebook and emails and dug up dirt to tell his mom(my wife) to try to kill our marriage. If I press charges for doing that will I open up a can of worms and expose myself to blackmail charges?
A: Threatening to expose truthful information, even if it may harm someone's reputation, is generally not considered blackmail. However, hacking into someone's Facebook and emails is a violation of privacy and can lead to legal consequences. If you believe you have been a victim of hacking, you should consult with an attorney to explore your legal options without necessarily exposing yourself to blackmail charges.
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