Being Blackmailed Sucks!

The criminals want you to be scared and freak out, but hold it together!

You can make it through this. We know, we have helped loads before you!

But if you need to talk to somebody call the hotline – they are there and they are good people who will listen to you without judgment, and no you do not have to give them your name. They just want to help!

Need To Talk?
Call NOW!
988

Phone Help in the U.S. & Canada

WTF: You are Being Scammed (Sextortion) or Blackmailed Because of Some Photos You Took?

How sick is that? Actually, this happens every day to millions just like you!

Look, this stuff is happening everywhere. It’s called ‘sextortion’ because it is extortion over sex.

It does not matter why you did what you did, it is not your fault. Exploring your sexuality is normal, and some criminal was just waiting for someone like you so they could spring their trap.

Today it is you.

We are not going to try to be all lit, and sound like we know what you are feeling. Only you know what you are feeling. But we are going to tell you the truth, hard as it is, this is what you need to hear right now.

This crime involves perpetrators coercing victims (that would be YOU) into providing explicit images or videos (that would be the things you sent them,) then weaponizing these materials to blackmail you.

But here is the thing, they really have no power over you unless you give it to them!

How Does Blackmail Work?

Sextortion, extortion, blackmail, whatever, it is the same stuff. It works because somebody (you) has a secret that they want to keep, criminals have that and they want your money. It’s not complicated. To the criminals, it is just business, but to you, it is your life.

Blackmail breaks down when the criminals don’t get what they want. If you block and ignore them, they have to make a decision: is it worth any more time or energy on you? Generally, they just move on to the next one, but sadly not always.

So read the rest of this page because we are going to tell you what to do if it continues.

Freaking Out

Ok, we get it, they say they are going to spread the photos throughout your school, friends lists, and family. How could they do that and what if they actually did it?

First, these criminals didn’t care about you and never did, it is a business for them. Yes, they tricked you in the worst way – they put their hooks into your heart and then ripped it apart. It hurts, but right now you have to put that aside so you can focus on the crime that is going on here.

Remember, for them, it is a business, and the thing to know about a business is that it never does what doesn’t make it money. So the odds of them actually wasting their time on someone who doesn’t pay is very low.

What You Do Not Want To Do!

But, do not get angry and call their bluff! Do not confront them. What you do not want is to piss them off.

What You Do Want To Do!

What you do want is to cut them off completely and block them everywhere. Do not talk to them ever again, even if they find a way back in, block them again and again.

You are stronger than they are! Hard as it is to believe that sometimes.

Just Remember You Are Not Alone

This is happening to literally millions of others just like you! It’s you right now, but it will be someone else a minute from now. This is how it works.

Millions of victims means that most of them are getting through this just fine. It is a hassle, it is painful, but they survived it and so can you.

But what if you can’t make it through this?

It’s ok to be afraid. It is ok to be hurt and angry and confused. It does not make you less of a man. It just means you need some help.

Worst Case Scenario

What if they really do it?

Ok, then be ready. You are smarter than some scammer in Nigeria!

You know that Deep Fake is almost perfect right? So if the worst ever happens then you just man up and tell a really good story about an online girlfriend/boyfriend that deep faked you.

EVERYONE will buy it!

Hell, half of the guys you know will think it was cool.

But the trick is to get the story in front of the actual. Meaning, spread the message to everyone you know immediately to take any power away from the criminals in case any photos or videos do show up!

Here is an example of what you can do:

“Hey! Some online friend is threatening to deep fake some photos of me if I do not give her what she wants. I have ended this, but I just wanted you to know just in case. So much for online relationships, right?”

The point is you can manage this thing. You can get ahead of it and take the control from the criminals. You can do this!

This is not worth letting this threaten your life!

You CAN survive this. People survive hard things all the time!

You Can Survive This

We know things feel really tough right now, and it might seem like there’s no way out.

Trust us, we’ve been there too. But please, hear us out for a moment.

We understand the pain you’re going through might feel unbearable, but we promise you, it won’t last forever. You are not alone, even if it feels like it now.

You do have people who care about you deeply, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now. You matter, your feelings matter, and there is hope for things to get better.

Taking your own life might seem like a way to end the pain, but it’s not the answer. There are people who love you and want to help you through this.

Reach out to someone you trust—a friend, a family member, a teacher, a counselor, or even a helpline. You don’t have to face this alone.

You are stronger than you realize, and there is help and support available to guide you through this difficult time. Please, hold on a little longer and give yourself a chance to see that things will improve.

You are worth it, and your life is valuable. Axios! (that word means you are worthy!)

Obviously, Don’t Do It Again

If this ever happens to you, you have to tell your parents because these are real criminals and you need to report it to the police, but you do not need to report it in person – the reporting part is easy, you can do it online, you don’t have to face a cop in some little interrogation room.

You are also going to need some support.

As smart as you think you are, your brain has not yet finished cooking. That means that this thing inside your brain called the ‘amygdala’ calls the shots and makes everything about emotions and reactions. Every time it feels a threat it is going to freak and drive you nuts. Talking with people who have your back is the way to tell your amygdala to shut up. By the way, your parents have their own little amygdala monster in their head too – it takes control when they get upset.

Start By Locking Down Everything!

Block the criminal everywhere – we said that right?

Lock down all your social media – all of it. This means you kill off everyone that you do not personally know in real life. Anyone who is an ‘online friend’ has to go, it could be another fake identity of the scammers.

You need to think about making sure these criminals do not come at you again, and they will try.

Make everything you have private, just for your real friends. Leaving stuff public just gets haters on you anyway. Who needs that?

Talk to Your Parents or an Adult You Trust

Here is the thing, this is going to mess up your head for some time. This is called ‘trauma’ – you are not crazy but this stuff does injure you, like breaking a leg. It kind of breaks your brain, and all kinds of bad stuff can happen when this kind of crime happens to you.

You do not need to tell your parents every little gritty detail. Just tell them the basics. Leave out the nasty bits.

Yes, they will freak out too because they care about you and they will be afraid for you. They want you to be ok, but it is ok not to be ok and to tell them that.

Tell them it needs to be reported to the FBI in the U.S. at www.IC3.gov or the RCMP in Canada or your national cybercrime police – because they will not have a clue what to do next unless they have been the victim of some kind of scam too.

What Happens Afterward?

If nothing happens and the criminals do nothing, then you go on with you life – you dodged a bullet – but you did not get away clean. That trauma thing got you, trust us, it got you!

If the criminals do what they said they would and you alerted everyone in advance, then just ride it out for a couple of weeks. People have the attention span of a cat, they will be on the next new new thing in no time. But that trauma thing is still there and needs to be managed.

You will need some help and there is NO SHAME in that. There are head shrinkers that specialize in slaying monsters, they are called trauma therapists. They really can help you get over this so it does not screw up your life forever.

The amazing thing is that these trauma wizards can even help you one on one online! You don’t have to go into an office or anything, you can just do it from your bedroom.

If you get the help you will need you will be ok. If you don’t you will stay messed up, it is that simple.

Remember

You made a mistake trusting some stranger online. You now have learned that lesson, right?

It was not your fault. Some bunch of criminals did this to you! It is the criminals’ fault.

You are not alone, you are a secret member of a giant club of people that have been through this! Sorry, no secret handshakes!

You are not a bad person. A little weird maybe, but not bad.

You are worth helping! Let people help you.

You are going to survive this. No one is going to push you over the edge!

Sextortion Menu

• Sextortion Basics
• For Teen Guys – Sextortion Scams – What Are They? How To Survive Them?
• For Teen Girls – Sextortion Scams – What Are They? How To Survive Them?
• Surviving Sextortion / Sexual Photo Blackmail
• When Sextortion Goes Wrong – When Scammers Post Those Photos
• Helping Someone Survive Sextortion/Blackmail
• Sextortion Support Resources Worldwide
• Getting Photos & Video Removed Using Copyright

Takedown Services

• If you’re under 18, you can use takeitdown.ncmec.org – a free online tool that prevents your image or video from being shared on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Yubo, OnlyFans, and Pornhub.
• If you’re 18 or older, you can use StopNCII.org – a free online tool that prevents your image or video from being shared on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bumble, OnlyFans, and Reddit.

More Sextortion Resources