Sextortion Helpline
Our expert digital investigators are ready to protect your public image and prevent the leak of your intimate data. We can guide you on the steps you need to take, investigate your case, and provide a detailed report. You can reach our sextortion helpline anytime for a free consultation.
Imagine one of the worst things that can happen to you — having your private, explicit photos or videos used as blackmail leverage. We all have the opportunity to take action now or let those moments go by and risk facing a bigger problem later on.
The FBI has seen a massive spike in reported online sextortion cases in recent years. There was a 20% jump in minor-related cases in 2023 compared to 2022, which itself saw ten-times the number of reports in 2021. With numbers like these, it’s crucial to know how to shut down sextortion and where to turn to for help. Keep reading to learn more about available sextortion helplines.
Resources for Victims: Sextortion Helplines and Outlets
National Crisis Lifeline
The National Crisis Lifeline is a 24/7, confidential center that offers support and guidance to those experiencing extreme distress. The network consists of over 200 local centers to provide callers with local support that meets national standards.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The NCMEC is a nonprofit organization that combats crimes that victimize minors, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM). You can report cases of minor sextortion through their CyberTipline. They also offer the Take It Down tool. This free service uses hash-based matching to remove CSAM and prevent it from being reposted.
Cyber Civil Rights Initiative
The CCRI is a nonprofit that defends against offenses that threaten civil liberties like non-consensual intimate image (NCII) abuse. The service offers educational material and advocates for legislative reform around cybercrime. They offer the CCRI Image Abuse Helpline, which has helped thousands of sextortion victims around the world.
How a Sextortion Helpline Can Help You Handle the Threat
There are obvious factors to a sextortion response. You need to investigate the case and collect evidence quickly. It’s important to report the incident to law enforcement and the platform where it occurred. Taking these steps early gives you a stronger position and helps prevent the situation from getting worse.
But what’s less considered, yet equally important, is managing the emotions of victimhood. Not only does this impact your mental well-being, but also your ability to respond rationally. Sextortion helplines can help you process these feelings and provide judgment-free guidance to aid your recovery. Besides that, they remind you that what you’re feeling is normal and that you’re not facing this alone. Having someone calm and experienced to talk to can make the whole situation feel far less overwhelming.
Sextortion: What to Do and How to Handle Sextortion Immediately
Falling into sextortion may make you feel helpless, but there are steps you can take to gain control. A sextortion helpline can help walk you through this process. Remember, you are not alone, and there is help – but you need to act fast. Here’s what you should do to get help dealing with sextortion:
- Don’t Pay. The first thing you should know if you become a victim of sextortion is that you should never pay. Meeting their demands will not make them go away. It will only turn you into their cash cow.
- Reach Out to Sextortion Helplines. These organizations can help you collect your thoughts and choose a rational, effective path forward. Sextortion helplines may also be able to connect you with experts who can help investigate the case.
- Keep Communication Open. You don’t want to confront or comply with the sextortionist. However, ignoring them can spur retaliation. You should maintain the line of communication by employing delay tactics. Use this time to get the help you need.
- Collect Evidence. You will need proof to support your case. Take screenshots of any online accounts, messages, and shared content from the perpetrator. You will want to save these in a secure location.
How to Report Sextortion to Local and National Authorities
Reporting to Authorities
You should start by reporting sextortion to your local police. They can help you resolve the case or point you in the direction of the proper national agency.
Depending on which country you are in, file a report with your national investigation agency. If the criminal resides in the same country as you, they will be able to help. Additionally, they may be able to coordinate internationally with other agencies.
- US — You can receive sextortion help in the U.S.A by reporting to the FBI. You can do this by contacting your local field office, calling 1-800-CALL-FBI, or by filing a report here. For minors, report sextortion cases to NCMEC by calling 1-800-THE-LOST or filing a report here.
- Canada — You can report sextortion to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501 or filing a report here. Minors can file reports through Cybertip.
- UK — For sextortion help in the UK, contact the National Crime Agency. The NCA provides resources to sextortion victims that can be found here. Minors can file reports through CEOP.
- AU — Australia’s eSafety Commissioner provides resources to sextortion victims that can be found here.
The laws and repercussions for sextortion vary in different areas. You can learn more by checking out our comprehensive expert guide on sextortion legislation.
How to Report Sextortion to Authorities and Platforms
You can report cases of sextortion or other cybercrimes to the platform’s system administrator. This can help take down posts containing your explicit photos and the account that shared them. The process varies between platforms, but they follow a similar guideline.
- Snapchat. To report a story or Snapchat conversation, press and hold it and click “Report Snap”. For additional instructions, read this article “Reporting Blackmail to Snapchat.”
- Instagram. To report a post or profile on Instagram, click the three dots in the top right corner. Then, select “Report”, and choose the reason for the report. For additional instructions, read this article “Reporting Blackmail to Instagram.”
- Facebook. To report a post or profile on Facebook, click the three dots in the top right corner. Next, select “Report post/profile”, and choose the reason for the report. To make a report in Messenger, open the conversation, click the person or chat name, and click “Report”. For additional instructions, read this article “Reporting Blackmail to Facebook.”
- Twitter/X. To report a post or profile on Twitter/X, click the three dots in the top right corner. Then, select “Report”, and choose the reason for the report. For additional instructions, read this article “Reporting Blackmail to Twitter.”
DOs and DON’Ts of Responding to Sextortion
| DO | DON’T |
|---|---|
| Maintain the line of communication with the perpetrator to preserve evidence; use delay tactics until you reach out for help. | Block the sextortionist until after the investigation. |
| Collect evidence of the crime. | Pay the sextortionist or entertain their demands. |
| Report the incident to the proper authorities. | Let shame or embarrassment stop you from asking for help. |
Victim Help Options Comparison
Law Enforcement
- Benefits: Law enforcement agencies can investigate sextortion cases and charge the perpetrators responsible.
- Limitations: Depending on the location of the sextortionist, jurisdictional limitations may hinder the effectiveness of law enforcement.
Non-Government Organizations
- Benefits: NGOs can provide emotional support, advice, and resources for victims to help them deal with the psychological toll of sextortion.
- Limitations: The legal assistance of NGOs is typically confined to recommendations and connecting victims with advisors.
Lawyers
- Benefits: Sextortion lawyers can help advise victims on the legislation in their region, help build their case, and pursue legal protections on behalf of their clients.
- Limitations: A lawyer may be restricted in the legal action they can take based on the information the victim has on the perpetrator. Additionally, the protections they are able to obtain may be ineffective.
Digital Investigators
- Benefits: Through the use of advanced tools and techniques, digital investigators can uncover the IP address, geolocation, devices, and identity of a sextortionist. They can uncover or recover critical evidence and provide a detailed document that can be used for future legal proceedings.
- Limitations: Digital investigators can help you work around the limitations of other help resources. The findings of a reputable digital investigation firm can be used in conjunction with external services. Sextortion doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution, so consider the benefits of these services unexclusively.
Understanding Your Attacker to Stop Online Sextortion
The goal of a sextortionist is not just to extract money from their victims, but also to make them feel panic and confusion to facilitate an irrational response. A successful online sextortion scam relies heavily on two factors: emotional manipulation and online anonymity. Sextortionists manipulate their victims through a combination of profiling, manufacturing trust, and creating a sense of urgency through threats. This is effective against unsuspecting targets, but less so when waged at an individual who understands these tactics.
The second and strongest tool in a sextortionist’s bag is their ambiguity. With their real identity unknown, cybercriminals carry out their ploys without fear of being held accountable. But with access to the right resources, a victim can uncover their abuser’s identity and bring them to justice.
How Digital Investigators Can Exploit These Weaknesses
A sextortionist’s strategies may work on an internet user who is unfamiliar with their techniques. However, an experienced digital investigator can navigate this barrage and target the gaps in their façade with precision.
With advanced techniques and experience in metadata analysis and IP tracing, digital investigators can identify the geolocation, devices used, and ultimately the identity of the perpetrator. A sextortion helpline can help you connect with digital investigation experts you can trust.
Learning How to Deal with Sextortion from Past Examples
In order to find the optimal answer to how to stop sextortion, we must revisit previous cases and learn from them. Through this, we can evaluate different response techniques to determine what works — and what doesn’t.
For example, three women from Australia were being sextorted by the same man between October 2024 and April 2025. The man, Benjamin Michael Jomaa, sent sexual content to the women without their consent before threatening to release AI-manipulated explicit content of them if they didn’t comply with his demands.
The women took the case to law enforcement, who searched Jomaa’s home and seized several electronic devices. He was arrested and charged with 13 offences. He pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to sextortion and is due to be sentenced in March 2026.
This case serves as a valuable reminder of just how critical it is to properly report online sextortion. To find more previous cases, you can check out our article breaking down previous examples of many common forms of sextortion.
Prevention Strategies: How to Stop Sextortion Threats in the Future
The most effective way to stop sextortion is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Sextortion helplines can also be beneficial in providing safe practices to prevent future attacks. Our experts recommend taking the following precautionary measures.
- Use Heightened Privacy Settings. Each platform has settings that can help limit sextortionists from accessing your profile. Making your account private limits their ability to reach you. This stops them from gaining information to manipulate you, accessing your content, and contacting your followers.
- Avoiding Sharing Intimate Content Online. Sharing intimate content online is risky, even with known contacts and especially with strangers. Anyone can easily download and share photos from private or temporary conversations.
- Early Identification of Red Flags. Keep in mind the common sextortion tactics discussed above. Be cautious of new online contacts who seem too good to be true, request personal information, or pressure you to keep your interactions a secret.
How Digital Forensics Corp Can Help You Deal with Sextortion
Here at DFC, our team has vast experience dealing with sextortion scams. We are extremely familiar with the way these criminals operate, and we know what needs to be done to make them abandon their schemes.
Our analysts can trace the digital trail of code back to the perpetrators responsible for these heinous acts. Using advanced techniques like IP-to-location and metadata analysis, we can identify the perpetrator’s location and the devices used in the attack. With this information, we can ultimately identify the culprit.
We’ve handled thousands of cases in the past, and our reviews from previous clients speak for themselves. You don’t need to face this alone. Allow a team of experts that you can trust to join your efforts. You can contact us 24/7 to speak with one of our specialists and get started with a free consultation.
FAQ: Common Questions on How to Deal with Sextortion
- Q: What is Sextortion?
A: Sextortion is a cybercrime where the perpetrator threatens to expose the victim’s sexually compromising data if they don’t meet certain demands. - Q: Who is at risk of sextortion?
A: All internet users can be victims of sextortion. However, younger users (teenagers to early 20s) get targeted at a higher rate than older users. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are especially at risk. Perpetrators can often leverage their sexuality alone. Their sexual orientation is often wrongfully used as leverage. - Q: How can I protect myself from sextortion?
A: Avoid oversharing online and keep your online accounts private. Cybercriminals can use any information about you that is available online to manipulate you. Our experts advise abstaining from sexting completely. At the very least, avoid engaging in such behavior with strangers online. It also helps to remember that most sextortionists don’t follow through on their threats – they rely on fear, not action – so staying calm and not paying is essential for your safety. - Q: Where can victims turn for help?
A: Victims should report sextortion to the online platform and law enforcement. There are also sextortion helplines that can help provide emotional support and guidance. And if you need any help along the way, DFC is here for you. - Q: Should I pay the sextortionist’s fee?
A: Do not pay a sextortionist. These criminals often target numerous individuals at once, but they will put the focus on you once you pay. Compliance does not guarantee they will abandon their scheme. In fact, they will likely demand more money and turn up the pressure. There is no amount of money you can pay them to make this end. They will bleed you dry.
