Someone is blackmailing you with intimate images. Here is what to do.

What kind of blackmail is it?

• An email says your webcam or computer was hacked and asks for Bitcoin, sometimes quoting an old password. This is almost always a mass scam with no video behind it. Do not pay, change the quoted password if you still use it, and report the email (in the UK, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk).
• You shared images or had an intimate video call with someone you met online, who now threatens to send everything to your friends, family or employer. This is classic financial sextortion. Follow the steps below.
• You are being threatened with an AI-generated image built from your public photos. The image is fake but the threat is real: same steps, and see our fake nude deepfake guide.
• An ex-partner is threatening to post images you shared with them. Same steps; if you feel unsafe, call the emergency number. In England and Wales, threatening to share intimate images is itself a crime.

The 8 steps

1. Do not pay. People who pay are usually asked for more. As the UK National Crime Agency puts it, once you have shown you can pay, they will likely ask for more. If you already paid, do not send anything else and call your bank's fraud line right away.
2. Send nothing else: no images, no money, no personal details.
3. Save evidence before you block: screenshots of the chat, the profile (username and URL), the payment demands and payment details they gave you (bank account, crypto wallet, gift cards). Do not delete the conversation.
4. Stop all contact and block the account on every platform, then report it on the platform where it contacted you, using the sextortion, blackmail or sexual exploitation reason.
5. Lock down your accounts: set them to private, hide your friends or followers list (that is what the blackmailer uses to threaten you), change passwords and turn on two-factor authentication.
6. Protect your images with StopNCII.org if you have them and are over 18 in them. It creates a digital fingerprint on your own device (the image never leaves it), which partner platforms use to block the image, even before anything is posted. It also works for AI-generated images.
7. Report it and get support:
   • US: the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI, or your local police. The CCRI Crisis Helpline (844-878-2274) offers 24/7 support to victims in the US.
   • UK: your local police on 101, or 999 if you are in immediate danger. The Revenge Porn Helpline (0345 6000 459, weekdays 10 am to 4 pm) supports adults in the UK.
   • EU: your national police or online crime reporting platform.
8. If the images are posted, report every post as non-consensual intimate imagery, ask Google to remove the pages from its results, and in the US use the platform's TAKE IT DOWN Act process: covered platforms must remove the content within 48 hours of a valid request. See leak: what to do and our takedown templates.

What not to do

• Pay "one last time".
• Delete the chat or your account before saving evidence.
• Send the images to anyone, including a "removal service" that promises guaranteed results for a fee.
• Deal with it alone. Telling someone you trust takes away the leverage, which depends on shame and isolation.

What the law says

Sextortion is extortion, a crime in every US state and under federal law. The US TAKE IT DOWN Act also makes it a federal crime to publish non-consensual intimate images, including AI-generated ones. In England and Wales, threatening to share an intimate image, including one that only "appears to show" you, is an offence under section 66B of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, whether or not the image exists. EU countries criminalise blackmail, and most also criminalise sharing intimate images without consent. This page is general information, not legal advice: a lawyer can tell you what applies to your case.