What Is Sextortion?
Sextortion is a form of online blackmail where a criminal threatens to share real or fabricated sexual images or information about you unless you pay money, provide more images, or perform other demands.
How Sextortion Happens
Romance / Catfishing
A scammer builds a fake romantic relationship online, gains your trust, convinces you to share intimate photos or video, then uses them as leverage.
Escort-Adjacent Sextortion
During or after a real or fake escort interaction, the scammer records video or captures screenshots and threatens exposure.
AI-Generated Sextortion (New)
Scammers use publicly available photos (from social media) to generate fake explicit images using AI, then extort victims who never shared anything.
Hacking
Criminals gain access to accounts, cloud storage, or devices and find intimate content.
Immediate Steps If You’re Being Sextorted
- Do not pay — payment rarely stops the threats and often escalates them
- Stop all contact with the scammer
- Document everything — screenshot all messages, usernames, payment requests
- Report to the platform where contact was made
- Report to law enforcement:
- FBI IC3: ic3.gov
- NCMEC CyberTipline (if under 18)
- Local police
- Tell someone you trust — isolation is what scammers count on
- Contact NCII (stopncii.org) to hash your images and prevent distribution
Legal Protections
Sextortion is a federal crime in the US under multiple statutes. Many states have specific sextortion laws. Perpetrators can face:
- Federal charges under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
- Interstate threats charges
- Child pornography charges if minors are involved
- State-specific sextortion felony charges
Organizations That Can Help
- Cyber Civil Rights Initiative: cybercivilrights.org — crisis helpline and resources
- NCMEC: missingkids.org — for cases involving minors
- FBI: tips.fbi.gov — report sextortion
- StopNCII: stopncii.org — prevent image distribution