In a digital era, online extortion has only grown. In fact, Orange Cyberdefense found a 77% increase in online extortion in 2024. When someone is extorting you, it can be devastating emotionally and mentally. However, there are steps you can take to protect yourself during an extortion attempt. Early understanding and detection of extortion can significantly reduce the damage, so keep reading to learn how to deal with online extortion.
What to Do if You’re Being Extorted Online
When an extortion attempt begins, time, response, and behavior play vital roles. Extortionists rely on panic-driven decisions, so remaining calm and methodical can help improve your outcome. Many criminals use short-deadline tactics to escalate pressure, particularly when they sense fear, panic, and urgency. That’s why measured responses are very important to keep things under control.
Steps to Take if You Are Being Extorted Online
Being a victim of online extortion is a traumatic experience. It can bring on extreme amounts of stress and anxiety. Most notably, it can make victims feel helpless. However, you do have options. There are steps that you can take to combat online extortion and fight back against the perpetrator. Here are the essential actions to consider if you are being extorted:
- Do not pay. You should never pay an extortionist or comply with their demands. Payments only encourage the extortionists to demand increased and repeated payments.
- Do not block immediately. Blocking the extortionist may feel logical, but it can provoke retaliation or exposure. You should try to buy time by telling them you are waiting for payday or need a week or two before borrowing funds.
- Cease communications but maintain records. Extortion victims should stop engaging while preserving all messages, usernames, email headers, and media files. However, deleting and blocking conversations can prevent cybersecurity experts from tracing the digital trail left behind by the criminal.
- Preserve evidence. Threatening messages, transaction requests, file metadata, and timestamps are critical for investigation and legal support. You will need evidence of the extortion in order to take legal action against the perpetrator or for law enforcement to perform an investigation.
- Notify the authorities. File a report with the FBI , the police, or other relevant law enforcement agencies about the extortion. They can provide advice on how to deal with the demands and may be able to launch an investigation to find the extortionist.
- Seek support. This can be a trusted friend, family member, or professionals like the ones who work at our 24/7 extortion hotline. Talking with someone can help alleviate some of the weight from the incident.
Forms of Online Extortion Scams
Cybercriminals use a variety of methods to gain access to sensitive data. They may infiltrate networks using stolen credentials or impersonate a trusted colleague to lure victims into sharing private information. Understanding the different forms of online extortion helps identify tactics early and reduce exposure.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a form of malware designed to access and encrypt unauthorized data. The affected data is often business-critical or personally valuable. In this attack, criminals encrypt the data of the victim. They demand payment for decryption of the victim’s data and threaten to permanently delete or publicly release it if they aren’t met with compliance.
Distributed Denial of Service Extortion
A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack occurs when a malicious actor floods a server or network with traffic, preventing normal access. Some criminals use this pressure tactic to combine disruption with payment demands. They threaten prolonged downtime of the system or data if a ransom is not paid.
Phishing-Based Extortion
Phishing scams rely on deception to trick people into sharing sensitive information or money. Criminals impersonate friends, family members, or colleagues using fake accounts. They may request documents, credentials, or urgent payments. In other cases, malware-infested links are disguised as routine messages. Once access is gained, attackers leverage stolen information for extortion.
Another phishing tactics involves malware-infested links. Scammers will disguise a phishing link in a regular message. While impersonating an employee or even a CEO, they encourage co-workers to click on the unsuspecting link. However, the link only deploys malware into the computer system and gives the scammer access to the company network. Once the criminal gains access to sensitive information, they can begin the online extortion.
Data Breach Extortion
A data breach involves unauthorized access to confidential or protected information. Insider threats and external attacks are the primary causes. Insider threats are any employees who may potentially misuse their access to harm the company, while network attacks are from an external party. In breach-based extortion, the criminals threaten to release stolen customer data, trade secrets, and financial records of the victims. They demand payment in exchange for not releasing financial records and trade secrets.
Sextortion and Relationship-Based Extortion
Sextortionists can be ruthless, and their sextortion schemes are always changing as they adapt their tactics. Some now create new websites, posting the victim’s personal information — name, address, phone number and other details — along with the explicit video or images. This means anyone searching the victim’s name may come across the explicit material. The criminals then send a sextortion email or text, demanding payment to get the site taken down. However, if you pay them, they will simply put the page up again later and demand more money.
Beyond financial loss, victims may face the following ramifications due to this type of extortion:
- Your family life could be in ruins, possibly even leading to divorce or loss of parental rights.
- Your professional reputation could be destroyed. You could even lose your job.
- Your privacy and ability to trust can be catastrophically damaged.
Social Engineering: The Art of Deception
Internet criminals aren’t always easy to identify. Sometimes they use sophisticated tactics to impersonate others or gain your trust. This is otherwise known as social engineering. Instead of using highly technical skills to hack into a network, scammers use social engineering to trick users into letting them in.
Hackers can also take over the account of an employee or trusted individuals to trick co-workers into sharing sensitive information. It’s important to keep your guard up in every interaction online. Be cautious of all links and take your time when reading or responding to messages.
How to Spot the Warning Signs of Online Extortion Early
In terms of today’s online scams, criminals are highly intelligent. They understand what buttons to press and how to gain trust quickly. However, scammers can reveal subtle red flags in their language or approach to messages. Here are the warning signs you should look out for when it comes to online extortion.
- Pressure to act quickly. Scammers are typically only interested in money and use urgency to encourage quick action.
- Demands for payment using difficult to trace methods. Cryptocurrency and gift cards are common forms of payment in scams. They are difficult to trace and simple transactions.
- Misspellings or strange structure. Many cybercriminals are non-native English speakers, which can result in misspellings or strange word choices.
- Request for more access. Sudden and suspicious requests for a change in permission controls are red flags. You should also be cautious of requests for access to certain information that they may not have had before.
- Messages with suspicious links. Scammers who use phishing links tend to insert the links in messages to their victims. You can preview any link by hovering over it to verify the destination.
How and Where to Report Online Extortion and Get Help
Reporting is a critical step for victims of any cybercrime. It helps document the crime that occurred and gives online platforms and law enforcement an opportunity to hold the perpetrator accountable. But beyond that, reporting the crime helps these agencies track cybercrime trends, which helps facilitate a safer internet for everyone.
Using the evidence you’ve collected, you should report online extortion to the following authorities:
- Online platform. Begin by informing the online service where the threat occurred. This may result in suspension or permanent deletion of the extortionist’s account.
- Law enforcement. You should inform both your local police and your national law enforcement agency. In the U.S., this is the FBI — and you can file a report online through the IC3.
- Cybersecurity professionals. While this is not mandatory, cybersecurity experts can be a huge asset. They can help you collect evidence — including the true identity and location of the criminal — and ensure that it is recorded and preserved appropriately.
How Digital Forensic Corp. Helps Victims of Online Extortion
Digital Forensic Corp. has cybersecurity professionals experienced in online extortion cases. Using digital forensics and advanced investigative technology, specialists trace digital footprints, analyze infrastructure misuse, and work to unmask anonymous perpetrators. Security reinforcement helps prevent recurrence.
With our proprietary system, IP to Location ID, we can find the anonymous blackmailers. Our process enables us to follow the digital footprints to track down the criminals’ IP addresses, internet service providers, and geographic locations anywhere in the world. With that information and documented harassment, we can work with local authorities for legal help to bring the extortionist to justice and prevent exposure of your personal information.
Preventing Online Extortion Starts Now
Educating yourself is the first line of defense, and the next should be strengthening your online security. Make sure your passwords are complex and unique for every account. You can also use anti-malware software to protect your devices from malicious code. Every online interaction should be approached with skepticism to prevent any unintentional security breaches.
Whether you own a business or simply have an online presence, we all need to be aware of threat actors and the tactics they use to penetrate our online defenses. Online extortion is an unfortunate reality of modern digital life. The best way to protect yourself is by understanding how to deal with it in case you are ever a victim. Awareness, preparation, and informed response determine outcomes. If you need extortion help or guidance on how to report online extortion safely, contact our Blackmail Helpline for expert guidance.
FAQ: Online Extortion
What is online extortion?
Online extortion is when someone threatens to expose private or sensitive information unless their demands are met, usually for money.
How do I know if I am being extorted online?
Urgent threats, secrecy demands, and requests for cryptocurrency or gift cards are common signs of online extortion.
How should I deal with online extortion?
Do not pay, stop engaging, preserve evidence, secure your accounts, and begin online extortion reporting as soon as possible.
Where can I report online extortion?
You can report online extortion to law enforcement or appropriate cybercrime reporting agencies in your region.
Can professional help stop an extortionist?
Yes. Digital forensic and legal support can help identify the attacker and reduce further threats.
