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Sextortion: What to Do If Someone Threatens to Share Your Photos

Independently fact-checkedBy Recording Law Editorial Team21 min read

Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited October 3, 2026). · 12 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content

Sextortion: What to Do If Someone Threatens to Share Your Photos

Sextortion is when someone threatens to share intimate photos or videos of you unless you pay money or send more images. If it is happening to you right now, the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) give the same core advice: stop responding, do not pay, block the person but keep the messages, report it, and use the free tools that help get images taken down. NCMEC says it plainly: "Remember, the blackmailer is to blame, not you. Even if you made a choice you regret, what they are doing is a crime."

If you are under 18, the FBI's message to young people is "You are not the one who is breaking the law," and NCMEC's CyberTipline and Take It Down service exist for exactly this situation. If you are an adult, the FBI tells victims not to be "embarrassed or afraid to contact law enforcement," and StopNCII.org is the free removal tool the FBI and FTC point adults to. Since May 19, 2026, the FTC has been enforcing the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act's requirement that covered platforms remove a reported intimate image, and make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies, within 48 hours of a valid request.

If you are thinking about hurting yourself, please reach out now. Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat through 988lifeline.org. The Lifeline says it "is available 24/7/365" and that "Your conversations are free and confidential." If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911. You do not have to handle this alone.

Information last verified on October 2, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers US federal law (18 U.S.C. § 875, the TAKE IT DOWN Act's criminal provisions at 47 U.S.C. § 223(h) and its platform removal duty, and the federal child-exploitation statutes the FBI lists) plus the official federal and NCMEC reporting and removal routes. State criminal laws on sextortion and intimate images also exist but are not covered here. It does not cover law outside the United States.

What to do right now if someone is threatening to share your pictures

These steps follow the order the official sources give them. The first four take a few minutes and protect you while you decide on the rest.

1. Know that you are not the one at fault

Sextortion is a crime committed against you. The FBI's sextortion page tells young people: "You are not the one who is breaking the law." It also says: "Young people being exploited are victims of a crime and should report it."

For adults, an FBI warning on sextortion says: "do not be embarrassed or afraid to contact law enforcement," and adds: "Remember you are not alone as thousands are victimized by this scam."

If you are a teen and not ready to talk to the FBI, the FBI says: "go to another trusted adult. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children."

2. Stop responding

The FTC's advice for anyone being blackmailed with intimate images is to "Cut off all contact. Block the person. Ignore their messages. Stop communicating with them in any way. Speak with someone you trust." The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) says the same: "Stop all interaction with the extortionist."

3. Do not pay, and do not send more images

The FTC says: "Ignore their demands. Don't pay them. Don't give them access to your financial accounts. Don't send them any images. Don't give them access to your devices."

Paying does not buy safety. NCMEC says: "Cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail." An FBI public service announcement (IC3 PSA I-060523-PSA) warns: "Do not provide any unknown or unfamiliar individuals with money or other items of value. Complying with malicious actors does not guarantee your sensitive photos or content will not be shared."

The FBI's sextortion page adds that in financial sextortion of children, "the offender often releases the victim's sexually explicit material regardless of whether or not they receive payment."

If you already paid, stop paying now. What you can recover depends on how you paid (gift cards, a payment app, a card, crypto), and our guide on how to get money back after a scam explains each one.

4. Block the person, but do not delete anything

NCMEC's advice: "BLOCK the suspect but DO NOT DELETE your profile or messages because that can be helpful in stopping the blackmailer." The FBI's 2023 announcement tells victims to "retain all information regarding the incident (e.g., usernames, email addresses, websites or names of platforms used for communication, photos, videos, etc.)."

Screenshots of the threats, the account name and any payment details you were given are a simple way to keep that record. NCMEC also says to "REPORT the account via the platform's safety feature."

5. Report it

You can report to more than one place. These are the routes the official sources name:

WhoWhere to reportWhat the source says
AnyoneFBI: tips.fbi.gov, 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), or your local FBI field officeThe FBI's sextortion page and the FTC both list tips.fbi.gov and 1-800-CALL-FBI
AnyoneFBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.govIC3's sextortion announcements tell victims to file a complaint there
AnyoneYour local policeThe FBI and the FTC both list local law enforcement
Under 18, or a parentNCMEC CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org, or 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)NCMEC says you can "self report" to the CyberTipline; its call center is open 24 hours
AnyoneThe app or site where it happenedUse the platform's own report or safety feature

The FTC puts it this way: "This is a serious crime. You can report it to your local police, as well as the FBI (tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI). If it involves a minor, you also can report it through NCMEC's CyberTipline." NCMEC's sextortion page also lists gethelp@ncmec.org. For a broader map of who handles which kind of scam, see where to report a scam.

6. Get the images removed or blocked

The FBI's sextortion page says: "For help getting images removed from the internet, visit takeitdown.ncmec.org (minor victims) or stopncii.org (adult victims)." Both are free. If an image has already been posted on a site or app, you can also send that platform a removal request under the TAKE IT DOWN Act, explained in the next section.

How to get intimate images taken down

The FTC says: "Only platforms can take down intimate photos and videos shared without your consent." There are three main ways to get platforms to do it, and they work differently.

a hand resting on a face-down phone on a table

ToolWho it is forWhat it does
NCMEC Take It Down (takeitdown.ncmec.org)Images taken of you when you were under 18Helps remove or stop the sharing of the images on participating platforms; you can stay anonymous
StopNCII.orgImages of you from age 18 or olderThe FTC says it creates a digital fingerprint of the image and shares the fingerprint, not the image, with participating platforms
A TAKE IT DOWN Act removal requestAnyone whose intimate image was published on a covered platformThe platform must remove it, and make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies, within 48 hours of a valid request

NCMEC Take It Down (images from when you were under 18)

NCMEC describes Take It Down as "a free service that can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old. You can remain anonymous while using the service and you won't have to send your images or videos to anyone."

It has limits. NCMEC says it "will work on public or unencrypted online platforms that have agreed to participate," and that "Online platforms may have limited capabilities to remove content that has already been posted in the past." NCMEC also warns: "Please do NOT send, share, or download any image or video in order to submit to Take It Down."

StopNCII.org (images from age 18 or older)

The FTC describes StopNCII.org as "a free global tool operated by the non-profit Revenge Porn Helpline" and tells adults: "If you have a copy of the image, use StopNCII.org." Take It Down's own site points adults the same way: "If there is an explicit image of you from when you were 18 or older, you can get help at stopncii.org."

Your 48-hour removal right under the TAKE IT DOWN Act

The TAKE IT DOWN Act (Pub. L. 119-12, approved May 19, 2025) requires covered platforms to remove intimate images posted without consent when the person shown asks. Section 3 says that on receiving a valid removal request, a covered platform:

"shall, as soon as possible, but not later than 48 hours after receiving such request-- (A) remove the intimate visual depiction; and (B) make reasonable efforts to identify and remove any known identical copies of such depiction."

Platforms had one year to set up a request process, and the FTC announced that it began enforcing Section 3 on May 19, 2026. The FTC says the Act covers real intimate photos and videos as well as "digital forgeries," meaning AI-made or edited fakes.

A valid request must be in writing and include your signature, information that identifies the image and where to find it, "a brief statement that the identifiable individual has a good faith belief that any intimate visual depiction identified ... is not consensual," and your contact information. A person authorized to act for you can also send it. Our guide on how to file a Take It Down request walks through the process, and the TAKE IT DOWN Act overview covers the whole law.

If the platform does not act, the FTC says: "If the platform doesn't take it down within 48 hours, report it to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov." The FTC has said platforms that violate the law may face "potential civil penalties of $53,088 per violation," a figure the FTC adjusts for inflation.

What the Act does not do. It covers websites and apps that serve the public and either primarily host user-generated content or regularly publish or host nonconsensual intimate images; the definition of "covered platform" excludes broadband providers and email. The removal duty applies to an image published on the platform. It does not make a platform remove something a blackmailer has only threatened to post. For images not yet posted, Take It Down and StopNCII are the tools built to block uploads in advance, and they work only on platforms that have chosen to participate.

Financial sextortion of teens

The FBI warns that sextortion "can start on any site, app, messaging platform, or game where people meet and communicate. It can impact kids and teens of any age." The FBI says it "has interviewed victims as young as 8."

In financial sextortion, the FBI says, "the offender receives sexually explicit material from the child and then threatens to release the compromising material unless the victim sends money and/or gift cards." In a December 2022 national alert, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and NCMEC said law enforcement had received "over 7,000 reports related to the online financial sextortion of minors" over the prior year, "resulting in at least 3,000 victims, primarily boys." Those are 2022 figures; the FBI's sextortion page today calls it an "increasing threat."

NCMEC lists warning signs. Offenders often:

  • "Move quickly and ask for nudes immediately after following or friending a child"
  • "Intentionally move their communications with the child from one online platform to another"
  • Use tactics like "Pretending to be younger and/or a member of the opposite sex"
  • Threaten "to create sexual images or videos of the child using digital-editing tools"

For parents and other adults a teen turns to: the steps above apply. The FBI tells young people they are not the ones breaking the law, and hearing that from you first matters. NCMEC's advice is to "Get help before deciding whether to pay money or otherwise comply with the blackmailer." Report to the NCMEC CyberTipline and the FBI, keep the messages, and use Take It Down for the images.

Sextortion of adults

Adults are targeted too. An FBI sextortion announcement aimed at adults said most victims report that the first contact was "made using dating websites and apps." The FBI IC3 2025 report breaks sextortion complaints down by age: the 20 to 29 range had 22,061, more than any other range in that table, and every range, including 60 and over, had more than 5,000.

Some blackmailers never had a real intimate image. The FBI warned in 2023 that victims were reporting "the use of fake images or videos created from content posted on their social media." The TAKE IT DOWN Act's removal right covers these digital forgeries too; see deepfake fraud and impersonation laws for more on AI fakes.

Sextortion sometimes starts as an online relationship. If someone built a relationship with you before asking for money, our guide to romance scams covers that pattern. If the person demanded gift cards, see gift card scams for what to do with the cards right away.

The "I hacked your webcam" email: usually a bluff

A different scheme arrives by email, sent to many people at once. The FTC describes it: "The emails say they hacked into your computer and recorded you visiting adult websites. They threaten to distribute the video to your friends and family within hours, unless you pay into their Bitcoin account. Stop. Don't pay anything. Delete the message. It's a scam."

The FTC says the claims about access to your computer or webcam are "all talk." The sender may really know one of your old or recent passwords, "and they include it in the message to prove it." The FTC's advice when you see that: "update your password on that account, and consider updating other passwords, too." You can report these emails at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. That FTC alert dates from April 2020.

The difference matters. The FTC's "delete the message" advice is for this kind of mass email that shows no real image of you. If someone has shown you an actual intimate image of you, or you know you shared one with them, follow the steps at the top of this page and keep the messages as evidence. Our guide to phishing, smishing and vishing covers other scam emails.

Beware of paid "sextortion help" companies

People in a panic search for help, and some companies charge them for it. In April 2023 the FBI warned (IC3 PSA I-040723-PSA) about "for profit companies offering sextortion victims 'assistance' services. These companies charge exorbitant fees, whereas law enforcement and non-profit agencies will provide assistance at no charge to victims."

The FBI added: "Some of the services for which the companies charge fees, such as sending the perpetrators cease and desist orders, make victims feel better but are not legally enforceable." One warning sign the FBI lists: "The company representative discourages you from contacting law enforcement."

The FBI's sextortion page says: "Victims of sextortion should never have to pay fees to receive assistance or to have their non-consensual images removed from online or in-app postings." Take It Down, StopNCII, the CyberTipline, the FBI and the FTC's complaint site are all free. For when paid legal help is and is not worth it, see when a lawyer helps after a scam.

Is sextortion illegal? The federal laws

Yes. Several federal laws can apply, depending on what the blackmailer did and how old the victim is. The FBI's 2023 announcement says sextortion may violate laws against production of child sexual abuse material (18 U.S.C. § 2251(a)), coercion and enticement of a minor (18 U.S.C. § 2422(b)), receipt, possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material (18 U.S.C. § 2252A), and "extortion via interstate communications" (18 U.S.C. § 875(d)). Which charges are brought in a given case is up to prosecutors.

Extortion by interstate threat: 18 U.S.C. § 875(d)

Threatening someone's reputation to get money, when the threat is sent in interstate or foreign commerce (which includes online messages), falls under 18 U.S.C. § 875(d):

"Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

A separate subsection, 18 U.S.C. § 875(b), covers communications sent with intent to extort that threaten to injure a person, with a maximum of 20 years.

Threatening to share intimate images: the TAKE IT DOWN Act

The TAKE IT DOWN Act also made the threat itself a federal crime. 47 U.S.C. § 223(h)(6)(A) provides:

"Any person who intentionally threatens to commit an offense under paragraph (2) for the purpose of intimidation, coercion, extortion, or to create mental distress shall be punished as provided in paragraph (4)."

For threats involving authentic images, the maximum prison term is 2 years when the person shown is an adult and 3 years when the person shown is a minor. For threats involving digital forgeries, the maximums are 18 months (adult) and 30 months (minor). The Act's criminal provisions contain no delayed effective date, unlike the platform removal duty, which had a one-year setup period.

The Act also says that agreeing to an image being made is not agreeing to it being published: "the fact that the identifiable individual provided consent for the creation of the intimate visual depiction shall not establish that the individual provided consent for the publication."

When the victim is a minor

Coercing a minor into producing sexual images is covered by 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a), which applies to "Any person who employs, uses, persuades, induces, entices, or coerces any minor to engage in ... any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct," subject to the statute's interstate-commerce conditions. Under § 2251(e), a first offense carries "not less than 15 years nor more than 30 years" in prison.

Online harassment: 18 U.S.C. § 2261A

The federal stalking law, 18 U.S.C. § 2261A(2), can reach some cases. It requires intent "to kill, injure, harass, intimidate," or to place someone under surveillance with that intent, and a "course of conduct" using online or other interstate services that either places the person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury, or "causes, attempts to cause, or would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress." Those elements depend on the facts, so not every sextortion case fits it.

How common is sextortion?

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported: "In 2025, IC3 received more than 75,000 submissions regarding sextortion." It also said: "In 2025, IC3 referred more than 5,700 submissions involving minors to NCMEC."

Those figures count only reports made to IC3. NCMEC also receives its own reports directly through the CyberTipline, which are not part of the IC3 count.

Last updated: October 2, 2026.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. It describes federal law and official guidance as verified on October 2, 2026. For help with a specific situation, contact the FBI, the NCMEC CyberTipline, the platform involved, or a lawyer licensed in your state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I get in trouble for sending the pictures?

The FBI tells young people targeted by sextortion: You are not the one who is breaking the law, and that they are victims of a crime who should report it. NCMEC says the blackmailer is to blame, not you. For adults, the FBI says not to be embarrassed or afraid to contact law enforcement.

Should I pay the person threatening to share my photos?

No. The FTC says not to pay, NCMEC says cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail, and an FBI warning (IC3 PSA I-060523-PSA) says complying does not guarantee your photos will not be shared.

Should I delete the messages?

No. NCMEC says to block the person but not delete your profile or messages, because they can help stop the blackmailer. Keep usernames, account links and any payment details, as the FBI advises.

Where do I report sextortion?

To the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI, to the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov, or to local police. If the victim is under 18, also report to NCMEC's CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

How do I get my nude photos taken down?

The FBI points minors to NCMEC's Take It Down (takeitdown.ncmec.org) and adults to StopNCII.org. If an image is posted on a covered platform, the TAKE IT DOWN Act requires the platform to remove it within 48 hours of a valid request; if it does not, the FTC says to report it at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.

Can a platform remove an image before it is posted?

The TAKE IT DOWN Act's 48-hour duty applies to images published on a covered platform. Take It Down and StopNCII are designed to help stop images being shared on participating platforms, which have agreed to take part.

Is sextortion a federal crime?

Yes. The FBI says it may violate 18 U.S.C. 875(d) (extortion by interstate threat, up to 2 years) and, where minors are involved, laws such as 18 U.S.C. 2251(a), 2422(b) and 2252A. The TAKE IT DOWN Act also makes threatening to share intimate images a crime under 47 U.S.C. 223(h)(6).

Is the hacked webcam email real?

The FTC says these mass emails demanding Bitcoin are a scam and the webcam claims are all talk. Do not pay, and if the email shows one of your passwords, change it on that account and consider changing others.

Should I pay a company that offers sextortion help?

The FBI warned in April 2023 (IC3 PSA I-040723-PSA) that for-profit sextortion help companies charge exorbitant fees for things like cease and desist letters that are not legally enforceable, while law enforcement and nonprofits help for free.

What if the images are fake or AI-made?

The FBI has warned about sextortion using fake images made from social media photos. The TAKE IT DOWN Act's removal duty covers digital forgeries, and threatening to share a forged image is also a crime under 47 U.S.C. 223(h)(6)(B).

How many people report sextortion?

The FBI's IC3 says it received more than 75,000 sextortion submissions in 2025 and referred more than 5,700 involving minors to NCMEC.

Updates

Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources

Sources and References

  1. NCMEC, Sextortion(missingkids.org)
  2. FBI, Sextortion (Common Frauds and Scams)(fbi.gov).gov
  3. FBI IC3, PSA I-090221-PSA: FBI Warns about an Increase in Sextortion Complaints (Sept. 2, 2021)(ic3.gov).gov
  4. FTC, Image-Based Abuse: What To Know and Do(consumer.ftc.gov).gov
  5. FTC, Take It Down Act enforcement starts now (business blog, May 2026)(ftc.gov).gov
  6. FTC, FTC Begins Enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act (press release, May 19, 2026)(ftc.gov).gov
  7. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline(988lifeline.org)
  8. FBI IC3, PSA I-060523-PSA: Malicious Actors Manipulating Photos and Videos to Create Explicit Content and Sextortion Schemes (June 5, 2023)(ic3.gov).gov
  9. NCMEC, CyberTipline report form(report.cybertip.org)
  10. NCMEC, CyberTipline overview(missingkids.org)
  11. NCMEC, Take It Down(takeitdown.ncmec.org)
  12. FTC consumer alert, Was your intimate image shared online without your consent? Here's what to do (Sept. 2026)(consumer.ftc.gov).gov
  13. TAKE IT DOWN Act, Pub. L. 119-12 (enrolled text, GovInfo)(govinfo.gov).gov
  14. FBI, HSI and NCMEC, National Public Safety Alert on Financial Sextortion Schemes (Dec. 19, 2022)(fbi.gov).gov
  15. FBI IC3, 2025 Internet Crime Report(ic3.gov).gov
  16. FTC consumer alert, Scam emails demand Bitcoin, threaten blackmail (Apr. 29, 2020)(consumer.ftc.gov).gov
  17. FBI IC3, PSA I-040723-PSA: sextortion assistance companies (Apr. 7, 2023)(ic3.gov).gov
  18. 18 U.S.C. § 875 (Interstate communications), Legal Information Institute(law.cornell.edu)
  19. 18 U.S.C. § 2251 (Sexual exploitation of children), Legal Information Institute(law.cornell.edu)
  20. 18 U.S.C. § 2261A (Stalking), Legal Information Institute(law.cornell.edu)
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