The growing prevalence of nude blackmail scams poses a serious risk to anyone with an online presence. Thousands fall victim each year, and that number continues to rise. The blackmail with nudes scam, otherwise known as sextortion, is when a bad actor warns that they intend to release a victim’s private nudes unless a payment is made. Experiencing nude blackmail can cause intense feelings of anxiety, shame, depression, and helplessness. Scammers use this tactic to exploit the overwhelming fear felt by the victim. However, even though you may feel helpless while facing online blackmail, you do have options in how to protect yourself and take action to fight back.
If You’re Experiencing Blackmail with Nudes, Ask Yourself These Questions
If you’re threatened by blackmail with nudes, you need to stay calm and assess the situation. There are multiple forms of sextortion, each of which may lead to different circumstances and require a tailored response. If someone is blackmailing you, make sure you ask yourself these following questions.
How Did They Get the Images or Videos?
Scammers can gain access to a victim’s nudes with or without their consent. It’s common for blackmailers to create fake online personas on social media and dating platforms, luring victims into a romantic or sexually intimate relationship. When nudes are consensually exchanged between the criminal and the victim, the scammer uses the nudes for blackmail.
Some cybercriminals will access a victim’s nudes by hacking into their accounts or devices. Scammers may use phishing tactics to trick victims into clicking malware-infested links, gaining access to their sensitive information.
Brute force attacks are also a popular method for nude blackmail. They can use login credentials revealed in data breaches to enter your account. In many cases, the method used to obtain your images or videos can be inferred based on the context of the explicit content.
How Serious is the Blackmail?
Nude blackmail should always be taken seriously. There are real-life consequences if a sextortionist makes good on their intent for nonconsensual distribution. Even sexual deepfakes can negatively affect your online reputation. You need to assess the danger of the compromising material. This includes asking questions like, “Does the scammer actually have my nudes?” or “Do they know my identity?” You should also verify the explicit content to see if you are identifiable in it.
What are the Criminal’s Demands?
You should never comply when getting blackmailed with nudes, no matter what. However, the demands from the criminal can reveal a lot about them. For example, a demand for sexual favors or more intimate content reveals an attraction to the victim. In cases of revenge porn, a former partner may demand reconciliation in a relationship.
Someone is Blackmailing Me with Nudes. What Should I do?
Being blackmailed with nudes can trigger a lot of overwhelming emotions. Scammers rely on fear and urgency to pressure victims into compliance. However, the phrase “cooler heads prevail” is especially true in the face of sextortion. It’s important to avoid making any rash decisions. Instead, stay calm and follow these immediate steps on what to do if someone is blackmailing you.
- Don’t comply. According to our 2025 sextortion report, at least 89% of victims that paid their blackmailer continued to receive demands for more money. This figure demonstrates the ineffectiveness of compliance when it comes to blackmail with nudes.
- Discontinue any conversation with the criminal. Scammers blackmailing with nudes will only continue to cause distress with a barrage of demands. They may even feel emboldened to leak the nudes if the victims are delaying payment.
- Preserve evidence. To take action against the offender, you need strong evidence of the sextortion. Make sure to take screenshots of messages, demands, and any other relevant information.
- File a report with law enforcement. This is where your evidence pays off. You can report the nude blackmail to the local authorities, officially recording your evidence. Your report can be used by the police department to initiate an investigation or by attorneys to take legal action.
- Seek help from Digital Forensics Corp. Our cybercrime experts are well-versed in what to do when someone has your nudes. By using digital forensic tools, we can trace the digital footprint of the criminal — sometimes even uncovering their geolocation and identity. Our services are fast, confidential, and available 24/7.
Types of Sextortion Scams to Watch Out For
There are many types of sextortion scams that cybercriminals use to blackmail victims. Some are more direct while others can be elaborate psychological manipulation. Understanding the various forms of sextortion can help you recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations. Below are the main forms of nude blackmail scams to be aware of.
Email-based Sextortion Scams
There is a troubling new scam trend emerging. Cybercriminals obtain someone’s email address, often through data breaches, and send fake claims that they hacked the recipient’s computer for months. These emails allege that compromising video footage of nudity or sexual activity was secretly recorded through the victim’s webcam, all in an effort to extort money.
Catfish Blackmail
Many instances of sextortion involve criminals using fake online profiles to catfish victims on social media and dating platforms. They lure unsuspecting users into fraudulent emotionally or sexually intimate relationships. Then, when nudes are exchanged, the scammer states that they will release the nudes publicly — or send them to the victim’s family and friends — unless a ransom is paid.
Deepfake Blackmail
A darker consequence of AI and deepfake technology is its misuse for nude blackmail. Sextortionists are now using tools like “Undress AI” apps to create realistic, fabricated nudes using images sourced from a victim’s social media. They can also superimpose a victim’s face onto existing explicit videos, creating convincing deepfakes. This manipulated content is then sent to victims via messages or email along with warnings that the content will be released unless a ransom is paid.
Sexploitation
This form of nude blackmail is distinct in that the demands are not financially motivated. While scammers still use explicit content as leverage, they often pressure victims for additional sexual content or favors. This behavior indicates a personal fixation or desire for the victim, making it more predatory in nature.
Recorded Video Chat Blackmail
Not all sextortion schemes that involve a fraudulent relationship will involve catfishing. Some scammers use their real appearance to draw victims in and then initiate a video chat for sexual purposes. However, the scammer secretly records the video chat and immediately blackmails the victim in exchange for money.
Law Enforcement Impersonation
This blackmailing with nudes scam is intricate. The scammer creates a fake profile as a young adult on social media or a dating app and builds a sexually intimate relationship with their target, often an older adult. The victim is lured into sending the criminal an explicit image and then the blackmailing with nudes begins.
Next, the victim receives a message from the perpetrator informing them that the young adult they were messaging was actually a minor. This message can come from the original cybercriminal posing as the minor or as a parent.
The scam escalates with a slew of messages warning that the minor or concerned parents will get the police involved and take legal action against the victim for engaging in child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The only way to stop this process is if you pay them a certain amount of money for “emotional damages”. In some cases, the victim may get a message or call from the scammer posing as the police and demanding compensation in order to stay out of prison. This tactic preys on the fear of judgement by friends and family, pressuring the victim into compliance.
Digital Forensics Corp. Can Help You Fight Back Against Getting Blackmailed with Nudes
Our cybersecurity firm is committed to protecting victims of nude blackmail and preventing any further nonconsensual distribution. We specialize in digital forensics to trace the blackmailer’s digital footprint, uncovering their identity and eliminating their anonymity. This gives us the leverage needed to stop any ongoing sextortion efforts, and, in many cases, we can get your nudes removed directly from the scammer’s devices.
Our experts also conduct continuous monitoring across the internet to detect and prevent the spread of your nudes, even after the demands have stopped. If you are facing blackmail with your nudes, contact DFC to have experts by your side 24/7.
