Leaked: your first 24 hours

Paying rarely stops blackmail. They usually ask for more, so don’t negotiate. Report the account on the network where they message you, and block it. Don’t delete the messages: they’re evidence.

Copy the link to every post and channel, and take screenshots that show the address, username and date. Keep everything in one list. If the person in the images is under 18, don’t save or forward them. Report the link to NCMEC.

Change the passwords for your email, cloud storage and platforms, and turn on two-factor authentication. In Telegram, end sessions you don’t recognize: “Settings”, then “Devices”.

Only paid posts leaked? Most likely a subscriber downloaded them. Something surfaced that was never on the platform? Check your email and cloud storage: it looks like a hack.

In Telegram, tap “Report” on the channel or post. For copyright, email dmca@telegram.org. Google removes links from search through a form. Send websites a DMCA notice, and if a site is behind Cloudflare, file it through Cloudflare: it forwards the notice to the hosting provider and the site owner.

Telegram help Google form Report via Cloudflare

Create a hash of your private intimate images on StopNCII.org. Only the person in the images can submit, and the files stay on your device. Only partner platforms check uploads against the hash, and Telegram isn’t one of them. Taken before you were 18? Use Take It Down.

StopNCII.org Take It Down

Attach screenshots of the messages, the username and the links. If someone threatens your safety, call 911 in the US or 112 in Europe right away. In the US, you can report blackmail and leaks to the FBI. In Europe, go to your local police. Is the person in the images under 18? Report it to the CyberTipline.

FBI form CyberTipline

Tell someone you trust: it’s harder to go through this alone. You can leave finding copies, filing reports and checking for re-uploads to us.

Tell us what happened