Being Sextorted? Here's Exactly What to Do (and What Not to Do)
Sextortion is when someone threatens to share intimate images of you unless you pay or comply. It's frightening and it's designed to make you panic — but there is a clear, calm path through it, and help exists. This is a sensitive topic; if you're in distress, please reach out to someone you trust or a support line in your area.
First: it is not your fault, and you are not alone
These are organized, practiced criminals who do this at scale. Falling for it doesn't make you naive. What matters now is how you respond.
Do
- Stop engaging. Don't reply to threats. Every response tells them the pressure is working.
- Don't pay. Paying almost never ends it — it signals you'll pay again.
- Preserve evidence. Screenshot the profile, messages, threats, and any usernames or payment details before blocking.
- Report the account on the platform, then block them.
- Report to authorities — your local police and your country's fraud/cybercrime reporting body.
- Use takedown help. StopNCII.org can help stop intimate images from being shared; specialist helplines exist in many countries.
Don't
- Don't delete everything — you'll need the evidence.
- Don't try to negotiate or reason with them.
- Don't suffer in silence out of shame. Telling one trusted person takes away the blackmailer's main weapon.
How to lower the risk
Verify that someone is a real person before you trust them, and be cautious about sharing intimate images with anyone you haven't met and don't fully trust. Most sextortion starts with an anonymous fake account — which is precisely the thing verification removes.
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