What to Do If You're Being Sextorted Right Now

If someone is threatening to share a private image unless you pay or send more, you are not the one who did something wrong, and there are specific, effective steps to take right now — none of them involve paying.

Quick overview

  • Don't pay and don't keep responding — both usually make it worse, not better. See why.
  • Block the account, but don't delete the conversation — that's the evidence you'll need. See the steps.
  • If a teenager is being targeted, this is now a well-documented, serious pattern — never a paid matter. Read this.
  • Sextortion reports have surged — NCMEC logged over 1.4 million related reports in 2025, up 158% from 2024, with financial sextortion increasingly targeting teenage boys. More on what this is.

If the person being targeted is under 18, this is never a paid matter. Go straight to NCMEC ([email protected] or 1-800-THE-LOST) or the CyberTipline, and involve a trusted adult and law enforcement. Full guidance.

If a child is in immediate crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) is available 24/7.

What this is

Sextortion is a threat to share an intimate image or video unless the target pays money or provides more content. NCMEC received over 1.4 million reports of related online enticement in 2025 alone, an increase of 158% from 2024 — and within that, over 50,000 reports (an average of 137 a day) were specifically "financial sextortion," where money is the demand, a fast-growing threat that most often targets teenage boys.

Whether the target is an adult or a minor, the underlying dynamic is the same: the person making the threat is counting on fear and shame to keep you from telling anyone or reporting it. That's exactly what the steps below are built to interrupt.

What to do right now

  1. 1

    Stop responding

    Don't negotiate, explain, or engage further. There's nothing you can say that changes the outcome, and continuing contact usually invites more demands.

  2. 2

    Don't pay

    Paying rarely stops the blackmail — it's far more common for demands to continue or increase, and there's no guarantee the content isn't shared regardless.

  3. 3

    Block the account, but don't delete the conversation

    Blocking stops them from reaching you further. Screenshot the messages first and keep them — don't delete anything — since that's the evidence platforms and investigators actually need.

  4. 4

    Report it, and hash it if you can

    Report the account through the platform's non-consensual imagery category. If you're 18 or older and still have the image yourself, hash it on StopNCII.org now — this is one of the few situations where you can act before anything is even posted.

  5. 5

    Report it to law enforcement

    File a report with the FBI (1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov) or your local police. If a minor is involved, go to NCMEC instead ([email protected] or 1-800-THE-LOST) — reporting doesn't put you at legal risk.

If it doesn't stop

Some people follow through and post the content even after being blocked and reported. If that happens, the same free channels still apply — StopNCII, the platform's removal tools, and Google's delisting request — and if the content ends up on a site that won't respond to standard reports, our host escalation guide covers that specific path.

That's also the point where our Private Image Removal service becomes relevant — a structured, persistent process once the threat has turned into content that's actually been posted. If that's where you are, get in touch and we'll give you an honest read on what's realistic before you commit to anything.

Common questions

I already sent a small payment — should I keep paying to make it stop?

No. Paying rarely ends it — it's far more common for the demands to continue or increase, and there's no guarantee the content isn't shared anyway. Stop paying, stop responding, and move to reporting it: block the account, keep the evidence, and report to the platform and law enforcement.

Am I in legal trouble for the original photo or video?

No — you're the victim of a crime here, not the one who did something wrong. The FBI states this directly: reporting sextortion does not put you at legal risk, even if the original image or video was something you'd rather not have shared.

They're threatening to post it if I contact the police — should I believe that?

Report it anyway. Threats to escalate if you involve authorities are a standard pressure tactic, not a reason to stay silent — law enforcement and platforms handle these cases regularly and confidentially, and reporting sextortion never puts you at legal risk.

What if the person being targeted is a teenager, not an adult?

Financial sextortion targeting teenagers, especially teenage boys, has grown sharply and is now treated as a distinct, serious threat by NCMEC and the FBI. Go straight to NCMEC ([email protected] or 1-800-THE-LOST) — this is never a paid matter, and it should also involve a trusted adult and law enforcement.

Does StopNCII.org help if nothing has been posted yet?

Yes — this is one of the few cases where you can act before anything is shared. If you're 18 or older and still have the image, you can hash it on StopNCII.org now, so participating platforms can block it if the person ever does post it.

Related

Already dealing with a posted image instead of an active threat? See our main Private Image Removal guide, our Deepfake Removal guide, or our host escalation guide.

Our first answer to anyone contacting us about an active threat is the same free advice on this page, not a sales pitch — we only come in once there's actual content to remove and the free channels alone aren't enough.

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Already dealing with a posted image?

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Same free-first order as every case we handle, no exceptions — paid work only starts if you actually still need it after the free channels, never before.

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