Expert Sextortion Help & Resources: Complete Guide for Victims

Sextortion Helpline

(800) 849-6515

Our team of expert digital investigators are ready to assist you in protecting your public image and preventing the leak of your intimate data. We can guide you on the steps you need to take, investigate your case, and provide you with a detailed report of the crime. You can reach our hotline anytime for a free consultation to get started.

The FBI has seen a massive spike in reported online sextortion cases in recent years. There was a 20% jump in cases specifically involving minors in a six-month period in 2023 versus the previous year, which itself had seen ten-times the reports of 2021. With numbers like these, it’s crucial that all internet users are prepared to shut down sextortion attempts and know who they can turn to for help. Keep reading to learn more.

Resources for Victims: Support Helplines and Outlets

National Crisis Lifeline

988

The National Crisis Lifeline is a 24/7, confidential crisis center that offers emotional support and guidance to those experiencing extreme emotional 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

https://www.missingkids.org/home

The NCMEC is a non-profit organization that works to combat 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, a free service that uses hash-based matching to remove CSAM and prevent it from being reposted.

Cyber Civil Rights Initiative

(844) 878-CCRI (2274)

The CCRI is a non-profit driven to defend 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.

Report to National Authorities

Depending on which country you are in, file a report to your national investigation agency. If the criminal resides in the same country as you, they will be able to help.

• US – Report sextortion to the FBI by contacting your local FBI 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 – The National Crime Agency 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.

How Sextortionists Operate: Common Tactics

Each incident of sextortion is carried out through different methods. Understanding the techniques used by these criminals is pivotal in avoiding these scenarios.

• Creating Fake Online Identities: These cybercriminals usually hide behind fake identities to remain anonymous and deceive their victims. Using these façades, the perpetrators are able to trick victims into believing they are a trusted entity. This enables them to extract private information they can use as leverage.
• Grooming and Social Engineering: Sextortionists are crafty and often do their research on a victim to understand what appeals to them. They will use this knowledge to start conversations that seem innocuous and establish trust with their target.
• Personal and Private: After establishing a rapport, the perpetrator often escalates the conversation by bombarding their target with declarations of love before introducing the idea of exchanging intimate content. They stress the importance of keeping the relationship secret from friends and family.
• Threats of Exposure and Shaming: Once they receive the intimate photos, the online sextortion begins. Perpetrators feed into their target’s embarrassment by threatening to post the material online or send it to the victim’s contacts. They illustrate the damage that will be done to the victim’s personal and professional image if this material is leaked.
• Financial Demands: Once the sextortionist has leverage over their target, they will begin making demands. They often claim that they will delete the content if the victim sends a certain amount of money. But with complete control of the situation and an already-displayed lack of honesty, the perpetrator has no incentive to actually delete the content and will likely continue making demands after the initial payment.

Cracks in the Armor: The Vulnerabilities of a Sextortionist

A successful online sextortion scam relies heavily on two factors: emotional manipulation and online anonymity. The first is done through a combination of profiling the victim, manufacturing their 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.

Victim Help Options Comparison Table

Typical Sextortion Schemes: Real Case Studies

Online sextortion can be carried out in many different ways. Each of these methods hold varying potential to cause harm to the victim. Below is just one example of the many real-world sextortion cases. You can learn more by reading our Sextortion Cases article.

British Lawmaker Resigns Amid Sextortion Scheme

British MP William Wragg was forced to announce that he had exposed the personal numbers of several other members to a sextortionist online. The criminal leveraged compromising content of Wragg to gain access to this data. Wragg resigned shortly after the announcement. The contact information of 12 politicians was ultimately exposed. This goes to show that anyone can be a victim, and you can read about other similar real-world cases here.

What to Do if You Are a Victim of Sextortion

Falling into sextortion may make you feel helpless, but there are steps you can take to gain control of the situation. Remember you are not alone and there is help, but you need to act fast.

• Don’t Pay: The first thing you should know if you become a victim of online 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.
• Halt Communication: Cutting off the conversation is advisable, but you should not block the perpetrator. Not only could this incite a retaliatory leak of your content, but it may also inhibit law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals from properly assisting you.
• Provide Evidence Securely: Make sure to only include the necessary data to move forward with the the agency’s reporting process. Include only evidence of the threats you received, the blackmailer’s current digital identity, and details about how they catfished you into sending the content, without sharing any explicit images of yourself. When working with any legitimate organization, you report will remail confidential.

How to Report Sextortion to Authorities and Platforms

• Reporting to Authorities: You should start by filing a police report with your local law enforcement. They can help you resolve the case or point you in the direction of the proper national agency in your region.
• Reporting to Online Platforms: You can report cases of sextortion or other online blackmail to the 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, 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 of the post or next to the profile name, 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, 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

Prevention Strategies: Avoiding Sextortion Threats in the Future

The most effective way to stop sextortion is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Taking precautionary measures will best position you to avoid these situations.

• Use Heightened Privacy Settings: Each platform has settings that can help limit sextortionists from accessing your profile. Making your account private can help limit their ability to reach you, gain information to manipulate you, take away access to your photos, and prevent them from 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, and pressure you to keep your interactions a secret.

Legal Landscape of Sextortion in the U.S.

There are laws at both the federal and state level that are in place to regulate sextortion. However, these definitions hold varying protections and ability to prosecute criminals.

Legal Definitions of Sextortion

The FBI defines sextortion as a crime in which someone threatens to distribute private and sensitive material if the victim does not provide them with images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money in the case of financial sextortion. Formerly, any form of interstate commerce used for the purposes of extortion of any kind were criminalized under federal law 18 U.S.C. § 875. This changed in May 2025, when President Trump signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act into law.

The bipartisan bill makes it illegal to distribute — or threaten to distribute — non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including deepfake media. It requires online platforms to remove such content within 48 hours of being notified. Things begin to get a little more complex at the state level. Some states have clear laws prohibiting sextortion while others interchangeably use the terms sextortion, sexploitation, and revenge porn. These are all different crimes that require clarity, and the lack of differentiation can cause confusion.

California

Under California’s Penal Code § 518, sextortion is a form of blackmail. It pertains to cases in which the perpetrator’s demands involve sexual conduct or an image of an intimate body part.

• Committed sextortion is considered a “straight” felony offense. It carries a punishment of two to four years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
• Attempted sextortion is a “wobbler” offense, meaning it can be considered either a felony or misdemeanor. Felony charges carry 16 months to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000, while a misdemeanor carrying up to one year in prison.

Texas

Under Texas’ sexual coercion law, Penal Code § 21.18, sexual coercion is a state jail felony offense. It pertains to the threats of illegal action if the victim does not provide intimate visual material, sexual favors, or monetary benefit.

• The penalty for such a crime is a prison sentence ranging from 180 days to two years and/or a fine of up to $10,000. The crime is increased to a third-degree felony for repeat offenders. This increases the sentence to between two and 10 years.
• Texas law also prohibits the recording, digital production, disclosure, and electronic transmission of sexual material without the consent of the individual depicted under Penal Code Chapter 21.

New York

New York Penal Law § 135.60 considers the act of inducing a person to do something against their will, including sharing sexually explicit content, with threats against their wellbeing to be coercion in the third degree, which is a class A misdemeanor.

• Under Section 135.61, the crime is considered coercion in the second degree if the person is coerced into vaginal, oral, or anal sexual contact. This is considered a class E felony.
• The penalty for a class A misdemeanor in New York can include up to one year in prison, up to three years of probation, and/or a fine of up to $1,000. Class E felony convictions can carry a sentence of one to four years, up to five years of probation, and a fine of up to $5,000 or double the gain from the crime.

Florida

Florida Statute 836.05 criminalizes the use of threats to cause physical or reputational harm to an individual as a means to extort money or coerce the victim to take actions against their will.

• It is considered a felony in the second degree and holds penalties including a prison sentence of up to 15 years and a fine of up to $10,000.

States with Ambiguous or Undefined Laws

Some state laws don’t specifically address sextortion. Instead, it is covered under broader legislation. Examples of such states include:

Georgia

While Georgia Code § 16-11-92 is titled Sexual Extortion, it truly protects against sexploitation. You can learn more about the difference between the two crimes by reading our article on Sextortion vs Sexploitation.

Sextortion is truly addressed under GA Code § 16-8-16, which covers theft by extortion. The crime carries a punishment of one to ten years in prison.

States Taking Steps in the Right Direction

Some states that were formerly part of the ambiguous or undefined group are taking steps to crack down on sextortion with clear and specific legislation.

Ohio

In the past, Ohio state law only prohibited extortion under Ohio Code § 2905.11, which includes the use of threats to expose information that would harm an individual’s reputation to obtain any valuable benefit.

However, this all changed earlier this year. Gov. Mike DeWine enacted House Bill 531 on January 9, which criminalizes Sextortion specifically as a felony. The law went into effect on April 9, and you can learn more here.

The Need for Global Collaboration Against Sextortion

With the variance in laws at the state level, there is a growing need for uniform federal regulation on sextortion. Other states use different legal principles, which will be covered in a future article. These inconsistencies and gaps can harm victims’ ability to seek justice.

“Sextortion occurs at the intersection between corruption and sexual exploitation and for that reason, it tends to fall through the cracks and not get addressed by either,” said Senior Advisor of the International Association of Women Judges Nancy Hendry.

Legislative reforms are necessary not only in the US, but on the world stage. The FBI and its international partners issued a joint warning on the growing global sextortion crisis in 2023. Some countries are taking action, but an update of the UN’s vague stance on corruption could help stop sextortion. However, this needs to coincide with an increase in global awareness.

Recap: Questions and Answers

1. 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.

2. Q: Who is at risk of sextortion?

• A: All internet users can be victims of sextortion. However, younger users (teenagers to early 20s) are targeted at a higher rate than older users. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are especially at risk. Perpetrators can often leverage their sexuality alone.

3. 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. Abstaining from sexting completely is advised. At the very least, avoid engaging in such behavior with strangers online.

4. Q: Where can victims turn for help?

• A: Victims should report sextortion to the online platform and law enforcement. There are also the resources previously listed that can help provide emotional support and guidance. And if you need any help along the way, DFC is here for you.