Short answer
Don’t pay and don’t send anything more — the FBI says paying rarely stops the demands. Stop replying, but don’t delete the chat or the account: screenshot the profile, messages and payment details first, then report and block. Report it to the police (in the US, tips.fbi.gov or IC3; elsewhere, your local police). To stop the images spreading, use the free hashing tools: Take It Down (NCMEC) if you were under 18 in them, StopNCII.org if you were 18 or over. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact emergency services or a crisis line now — in the US, call or text 988. This is not your fault.
How the blackmail usually works
- A new contact — often a fake profile of someone your age — moves the chat quickly to private messages and asks for images.
- Within minutes the tone changes: they show your followers or contact list and demand money, gift cards or crypto, or they threaten to post.
- Many demands come from organised groups abroad that run the same script on many people. Paying marks you as someone who pays.
The first hour: what to do
- Stop replying. Don’t negotiate, don’t pay, don’t send more.
- Save evidence: screenshots of the profile, username, messages, payment requests and any links — before you block.
- Report the account in the app, then block it.
- Lock down your accounts: make them private for now, hide follower and friend lists, and check your login security.
- Tell someone you trust. If you are under 18, tell a parent, teacher or another adult you trust.
Report it
- United States: the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or IC3, or 1-800-CALL-FBI; for anyone under 18, also NCMEC’s CyberTipline, where you can be connected with a person for support.
- United Kingdom: the police (101, or 999 in an emergency); adults can get advice from the Revenge Porn Helpline.
- Australia: the eSafety Commissioner; under-18s facing sextortion can report to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).
- Other countries: see where to report, by country.
Stop the images spreading — free tools
- Take It Down (NCMEC): for images or videos taken when you were under 18. It is free, you can stay anonymous, and you don’t send the image to anyone — a digital fingerprint (hash) is created on your device and shared with participating platforms.
- StopNCII.org: the same idea for adults who were 18 or over in the images, including fake or AI-generated ones. Partner platforms match uploads against the hashes.
- In the UK, under-18s can also use Report Remove from Childline and the IWF.
- These tools only work on participating platforms, and not inside encrypted chats. If something has already been posted, report that post directly too.
Where we fit — and what to avoid
The tools above are free. Anyone who charges to “delete the images from the internet” or to “negotiate” with the blackmailer is selling something nobody can deliver. If impersonating accounts or posts remain after the free routes, our content and account removal work uses the platforms’ own report processes; we never ask for passwords and never contact the blackmailer.
Frequently asked questions
Will they really post the images if I don’t pay?
Nobody can promise either way, but paying rarely ends it — the FBI notes demands usually continue. Reporting, blocking and the hashing tools are what limit the damage.
Should I delete my account?
Don’t delete the conversation or your account before you have saved the evidence; investigators may need it. Making the account private and hiding your follower list is usually enough for now.
I was under 18 in the images but I’m an adult now. Which tool?
Take It Down, run by NCMEC, covers images taken when you were under 18 — even if you are older now.
Do these tools see my photos?
No. Take It Down and StopNCII create the fingerprint on your device; the image itself is not uploaded.
Sources: FBI — financially motivated sextortion, NCMEC — Take It Down, StopNCII.org, Childline and IWF — Report Remove, Revenge Porn Helpline — threats to share intimate images, eSafety Commissioner — report image-based abuse