Blackmailed with intimate photos: where to turn

Don’t pay, and don’t delete the messages

Don’t pay. Paying rarely ends it: once they have the money, most blackmailers ask for more. Keep the messages. They are your main evidence.

You don’t have to reply. Don’t argue or plead: any reply helps them push harder. If you have already paid, it is not your fault. Keep the receipts.

Don’t delete your own account either: the conversation may go with it. Don’t send more images or open links they send.

Save the evidence

Screenshot the whole conversation before you block: messages may disappear.

• Their username, display name, profile link and numeric ID, if visible.
• Every threat and demand, with the date and time.
• Where they want the money sent: account, wallet or app.
• Who they threaten to send the images to: friends, family, followers.
• Links to any pages where the images are already posted.

Don’t forward the images themselves to anyone. If an image is in a screenshot, cover it. If it shows anyone under 18, don’t save the image at all: keep only the link and the messages.

Keep everything in one folder with a backup copy.

Report the account, then block it

Report the blackmailer’s account where they contact you, then block them. Pick a reason about extortion, threats or intimate images.

If the images are already posted, report each post as well. If they write from several accounts, report every one.

In the US, the TAKE IT DOWN Act has applied since May 19, 2026. Platforms it covers must remove an intimate image shared without consent within 48 hours of your request. If a platform misses the deadline, tell the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.

Change your passwords and turn on two-step sign-in: the FBI warns that explicit images are often stolen from hacked email and social media accounts.

StopNCII: stop the images spreading

If you were 18 or older in the image, create a case at StopNCII.org. It makes a digital fingerprint, a hash, and the image never leaves your device.

• Only the person in the image can submit a case.
• Partner platforms receive the hash, check uploads against it and can remove matches. Telegram is not a partner, and private messages are not covered.
• A cropped or edited copy may not match. Hash it separately.
• You can also hash a fake image that uses your face.
• Keep your case number and PIN. They can’t be recovered.

StopNCII doesn’t work with the police. A police report is a separate step.

If the images were taken before you were 18

If you were under 18 in the image, use Take It Down. It is run by NCMEC, a US child protection nonprofit, and works even if you are an adult now.

It works like StopNCII, and you can stay anonymous.

If someone is blackmailing you with such images, also report it to NCMEC’s CyberTipline.

Report it to the FBI or the police

Blackmail is a crime. In the US, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. If explicit images were stolen from your accounts and posted online, the FBI also collects reports at ncii.ic3.gov.

Local police take reports too, and in the UK and the EU they are the place to start. Bring the folder with screenshots, links, payment details and dates.

If the platform or the blackmailer is in the US, you can file with IC3 as well.

You are not alone

This is not your fault: the blame is on the person making the threats. Even if the images are out, you can report every copy.

Tell someone you trust. If you are in danger or feel overwhelmed, call 911 in the US or 112 in Europe.