Someone Is Threatening to Share My Photos: What to Do (Sextortion)

If someone is threatening to share intimate photos or videos of you or your child, you’re the victim of a serious crime (FTC). The blackmailer is to blame, not you, even if you made a choice you now regret, says the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Short answer: don’t pay, save the evidence, then block the person and report it, as explained below.

What to do if someone is blackmailing you with pictures

Take these steps in this order.

1. Don’t pay, and don’t send anything more. The FBI says giving in to the demands doesn’t guarantee your photos won’t be shared (FBI). In many cases, criminals release the images even after they’re paid (FBI, 2022). Don’t give them access to your money accounts or devices (FTC).
2. Save the evidence before you block. Take screenshots of the threatening messages, and write down the names, usernames and phone numbers used (Justice Department). Keep email addresses and the names of the apps or sites involved (FBI). Don’t delete your account or the messages; they can help stop the blackmailer (NCMEC).
3. Report the account, then block it. Use the app’s own reporting tool, then block the person (NCMEC). After that, ignore their messages and stop all contact (FTC).
4. Tell someone you trust, like a friend, a family member or a counselor (FTC). Teens: reach out to a trusted adult. If you don’t have one, NCMEC can help at gethelp@ncmec.org or 1-800-THE-LOST (NCMEC).
5. Report it to your local police and the FBI. If a child or teen is involved, you can also report it to NCMEC (FTC). The reporting section below has the details.

If the images show someone under 18, don’t download, forward or share them, even to get them removed. NCMEC warns that sharing them can be illegal (NCMEC).

Already paid? You can still report it. Keep the payment records: the FBI asks victims to keep all information about the incident (FBI).

What is sextortion?

Sextortion is when someone threatens to share your private, sensitive images unless you meet their demands. They often want more sexual images, sexual favors or money, and may threaten to send the images to your family and friends (FBI).

It happens to adults as well as teens. In 2025, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 75,000 reports about sextortion. People in their 20s filed the most, and IC3 sent more than 5,700 reports involving minors to NCMEC (IC3, 2025).

It often starts with someone who seems to be your age and interested in a relationship, or who offers something of value (IC3, 2025). Many adult victims first meet the person on dating sites or apps, then are quickly asked to switch to another messaging app (FBI, 2021). NCMEC has seen a sharp rise in cases where the blackmailer demands money from a child, and teenage boys have been the most common targets. Blackmailers often hide behind fake accounts and photos taken from someone else (NCMEC).

The shame, fear and confusion victims feel often keep them from asking for help (IC3, 2025). But you’re not alone: thousands of people are targeted by this scam (FBI).

Fake and AI-made images count too

The photos don’t have to be real. The FBI has warned that criminals use AI tools to turn ordinary photos, often copied from social media, into fake explicit images. They then use them to harass or extort people, including children (FBI). The same steps apply, and the TAKE IT DOWN Act covers deepfakes (FTC). To make your photos harder to misuse, see what a scammer can do with your personal information.

How to get the images taken down

Only platforms can take images down (FTC), and a federal law now sets a deadline for covered platforms.

Ask the platform to remove it

Under the TAKE IT DOWN Act, covered platforms, like social media, messaging, and image or video sharing apps and sites, must offer a way to ask for the removal of intimate photos or videos shared without your consent. They must remove them, and known identical copies, within 48 hours of your request, whether the images are real, altered or AI deepfakes (FTC).

The FTC explains how to ask (FTC):

• If you have an account, log in, find the image and look for a report option on or near it. It’s often under three dots in the upper right corner.
• If you don’t, search the platform’s help center for how to report an intimate image shared without permission. If a platform makes you create an account to ask, you can report the platform to the FTC.

You don’t have to find every copy yourself: platforms must make reasonable efforts to find and remove identical copies, and the FTC says they should give each request an identifying number (FTC). Save that number if you get one. For a child’s images, NCMEC has step-by-step reporting instructions for major platforms.

TAKE IT DOWN Act (2026): how to report a platform that doesn’t act

The law was signed on May 19, 2025, and the FTC started enforcing its removal rules on May 19, 2026 (FTC). A platform breaks the law if it doesn’t remove the image within 48 hours of your request, or if it has no removal process or a broken one (FTC).

To report it, go to TakeItDown.ftc.gov. Give the platform’s name and as much as you can about where the image was posted. Add as much as you want about yourself, or the person you’re reporting for, then submit (FTC). You can report if you or your child appear in the image, or for someone else who gave you permission (FTC).

What happens next: the FTC uses reports to investigate platforms, but it doesn’t resolve individual reports (FTC). Platforms that break the law can face civil penalties of $53,088 per violation (FTC). This report is about the platform, so report the person who threatened you to local police and the FBI too (FTC).

Images taken before you turned 18: NCMEC’s Take It Down

Take It Down is a free NCMEC service for nude, partially nude or sexually explicit images or videos taken when you were under 18. It’s for images you believe have been or will be shared online, for example by someone who is threatening you (NCMEC). You can use it even if you’re an adult now (NCMEC).

How it works (NCMEC):

• It makes a digital fingerprint, called a hash, of the image on your device. The image stays on your device and isn’t uploaded.
• NCMEC shares the hash only with participating platforms, which use it to look for copies on their public or unencrypted services and can act to limit their spread.
• You can stay anonymous.

It doesn’t work on encrypted platforms, and because it’s anonymous, you won’t be told if a copy is found (NCMEC). Use it only with an image that’s already on your device. If you don’t have it, report to NCMEC’s CyberTipline instead. And if someone is threatening you, NCMEC says to report it to the CyberTipline even if you’ve already used Take It Down (NCMEC).

Were you 18 or older in the image? NCMEC and the FTC point adults to StopNCII.org, a free tool run by the Revenge Porn Helpline (NCMEC, FTC).

How to report sextortion

Report to	When	How
911	Someone is in immediate danger	Call 911 (FBI)
FBI	Anyone who is being threatened	tips.fbi.gov, 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or a local FBI field office (FTC)
IC3, the FBI’s hub for online crime	Sextortion and other online crimes	ic3.gov (FBI)
NCMEC CyberTipline	A child or teen is involved	report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678 (NCMEC)
Local police	Any case	Your local police department (FTC)
FTC	A platform didn’t remove an image within 48 hours, or has no working way to ask	TakeItDown.ftc.gov (FTC)

When you report online crime, include the website address or app name, the person’s username, and dates and times (FBI). NCMEC reviews each CyberTipline report and makes it available to the right law enforcement agency (NCMEC). If explicit images were taken from your social media or other accounts without permission and posted online, the FBI also asks victims to report it at ncii.ic3.gov. It recommends unique passphrases and multifactor authentication to protect your accounts (FBI, 2026). See what to do if your email was hacked and what to do if you clicked a phishing link.

The report-a-scam tool lists more official channels.

For parents: warning signs and how to talk to your teen

Warning signs

NCMEC lists these red flags in a child’s behavior (NCMEC):

• getting gifts in the mail, like phones, gift cards or webcams;
• calling unknown numbers;
• pulling away from family and friends to spend time online;
• getting upset when they can’t get online;
• minimizing the screen or turning off the monitor when you walk in.

A child who is being victimized may also withdraw from family and friends, get lower grades, drop usual activities, or show anxiety, fear or unexplained anger. Some may have thoughts of hurting themselves (FBI, 2019). If you think your child is in danger right now, call 911 (FBI). The 988 Lifeline also helps people who are worried about a loved one (988 Lifeline).

How to talk to your teen about it

• Reassure them. The FBI has urged adults to tell young victims they’re not in trouble, there is hope and they’re not alone (FBI, 2022). Remind them that sextortion is a crime, that it’s not their fault and that you’re there to help (NCMEC, 2024).
• Understand the silence. Teens may stay quiet because they were threatened, feel guilty, or expect to be blamed or not believed. Boys may feel more embarrassed (NCMEC).
• Talk before anything happens. Ask about their online life, check in regularly, teach them how to report someone, and show them Take It Down and the CyberTipline (NCMEC, NCMEC, 2024).
• Pick backup adults together. Help them name two or three other trusted adults they can go to if they don’t feel comfortable coming to you (NCMEC).
• Explain the pattern. Watch out for someone new who asks for nude photos right away or wants to move the chat to another app (NCMEC).

Where to get support

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, or chat online (FTC). It’s free, confidential and open 24/7, whether you’re in emotional distress or just need someone to talk to (988 Lifeline).
• NCMEC offers mental health and peer support for victims, survivors and caregivers (NCMEC). Email gethelp@ncmec.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST (NCMEC).

TakeItDown.ftc.gov lists other groups that offer support (FTC).

Watch for the follow-up scam

• Paid “help” companies. The FBI warns that some for-profit companies charge sextortion victims high fees, while law enforcement and nonprofits help for free. Red flags: they contact you first, want fees up front or a signed contract, discourage you from going to law enforcement, claim ties to government or police, or use pressure and scare tactics (FBI).
• Fake police or FBI calls. Real law enforcement will never call or text you to demand payment (FBI, 2026).

What varies

• How you report on each platform. It depends on the platform and on whether you have an account (FTC).
• Which platforms the law covers. The FTC’s examples include social media, messaging, image or video sharing, and gaming platforms. Whether a specific site is covered depends on the law’s definition (FTC).
• What can be removed. Take It Down reaches only participating platforms’ public or unencrypted services, and older posts may be harder to remove (NCMEC). It also can’t stop an image from being posted on other sites (NCMEC).