Quick answer: Stop responding, don’t pay, and save the evidence before you block anyone. Then secure your accounts and report it: to the platform, to your local police, and to the FBI at ic3.gov. If the blackmail involves nude or sexual images of someone who was under 18 when the images were taken, report to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and use its free Take It Down service. This is not your fault, and reaching out for help is the right move. If you feel overwhelmed or unsafe, call or text 988 (U.S.) to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Online blackmail, often called sextortion when it involves intimate images, works by making you feel trapped and out of time. Knowing the pattern, and the steps that actually help, takes much of that power away. This guide covers what it is, a real case, and exactly what to do, whether it’s happening to you, your child, or someone you know.
A Real Example: Why Reporting Matters
In September 2024, the Justice Department announced that two Nigerian brothers, Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, were each sentenced to 210 months in prison for a sextortion scheme that targeted more than 100 victims, including at least 11 identified minors. According to the Justice Department, they bought hacked social media accounts and used them to pose as young women, researched their victims’ lives, and then pressured them with threats to share compromising material with family and classmates unless they paid through online cash apps. The scheme resulted in the death of a 17-year-old Michigan high school student in March 2022.
Officials stressed two messages. U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said: “Don’t assume people are who they say they are,” and “if you’re a victim, please reach out.” The FBI’s guidance in the release: “Being a victim of sextortion is not your fault.” U.S. Department of Justice, “Nigerian Brothers Sentenced in Sextortion Scheme that Resulted in Death of Teen” (September 2024).
The case shows that these are organized criminals, that they can be and are caught, and that victims who come forward are the reason cases get built.
How Online Blackmail Usually Works
- Sextortion. Someone, often posing as an attractive stranger or a peer on social media or a gaming platform, builds trust, gets a compromising image or video, then threatens to share it unless you pay. NCMEC says that in the “financial sextortion” cases it tracks, the victims are mostly teenage boys, most often ages 15 to 17 but some as young as nine, that payment is often demanded in cash or gift cards, and that demands are frequently repeated. Girls and adults are targeted too. Source: NCMEC, “Financial sextortion: a growing crisis” (November 2023).
- The “I hacked your webcam” email. A message claims the sender recorded you visiting adult websites and will send the video to your contacts unless you pay in Bitcoin. It may include an old or real password to look credible. The FTC says: “Stop. Don’t pay anything. Delete the message. It’s a scam,” and calls the threats “all talk.” Source: FTC, “Scam emails demand Bitcoin, threaten blackmail” (April 2020).
- Data-leak or account-takeover threats. Someone claims to have stolen private data, photos, or messages. If you’ve been in a breach, the password may be real even if the threat isn’t. See major data breaches.
- Fake or AI-generated images. Some threats use manipulated images. See our guide to AI-generated fakes.
What to Do Right Now
- Take a breath, and know it’s not your fault. The blackmailer is responsible, not you, even if you made a choice you regret. NCMEC says the same.
- Don’t pay. The FTC says not to pay in the email scam. For sextortion, NCMEC reports that demands are frequently repeated and that cooperation rarely stops the crime. We could not find a source that says paying makes it stop.
- Save the evidence first. Take screenshots of messages, usernames, profile pages, payment requests, and timestamps. NCMEC advises: “DON’T delete their profile or messages because they can be helpful in stopping the blackmailer.”
- Stop communicating and block. After saving evidence, block the account. Don’t keep negotiating.
- Secure your accounts. Change your passwords from a clean device, use a password manager, and turn on multi-factor authentication. Review privacy settings on your social accounts. See how to secure your social media accounts. If the blackmailer mentioned a password, change it everywhere you used it.
- Report it. Use the platform’s report feature for the account. Then file with your local police, and with the FBI at ic3.gov. For the email scam, the FTC also asks you to report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Tell someone you trust. Isolation is what blackmailers count on.
If you already sent money, tell your bank or payment app and see our guide on what to do if you fall for an online scam.
If Intimate Images Are Involved
If the images were taken when you were under 18, NCMEC’s free Take It Down service can help remove or stop online sharing of nude or partially nude images or videos. The image stays on your device and isn’t uploaded: only a hash, a digital fingerprint, is sent to NCMEC. It works on public or unencrypted platforms that have agreed to participate. Take It Down says images taken at 18 or older go through stopncii.org instead. Take It Down (NCMEC).
If you’re a parent or guardian, the FTC’s October 2026 guidance says to:
- Contact local police, report to NCMEC’s CyberTipline (1-800-843-5678), and contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or a local field office.
- Request removal on the platform where the image appears, often through the report option on the image. The FTC says the Take It Down Act requires covered platforms to give parents an easy way to request removal.
- If a covered platform doesn’t take the image down within 48 hours, report it to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.
Source: FTC, “Did someone share an explicit image of your child online? Take these steps” (October 2026).
Talking With a Child or Teen
If your child tells you, thank them for telling you and don’t punish them. Kids hide what they’re facing when they expect to be blamed. Help them stop contact, save evidence, and report using the steps above, and let them know you’re on their side. For prevention, see our parents’ guide to social media safety and talking to your kids about cyberbullying.
Warning Signs
- A new “friend” moves quickly from public chat to private messages or another app.
- They push to exchange photos or video, or send you one first.
- Sudden threats or demands after you share something.
- Pressure and deadlines, and a demand for payment in gift cards, cash apps, or crypto.
See also our guides to scam warning signs and social engineering.
People Also Ask
The FTC says don’t pay in the “I hacked your webcam” email scam. For sextortion, NCMEC reports that payment is frequently demanded repeatedly and that cooperating rarely stops the crime. Stop engaging and report.
No. NCMEC says to block the blackmailer but not delete their profile or messages, since they can help stop them. Save screenshots too.
Report to the platform and request removal. If you were under 18 in the images, use Take It Down, and if you’re a parent, follow the FTC steps above. If the images were taken when you were 18 or older, Take It Down points to stopncii.org.
Reporting is how cases get built. The Justice Department release above came from a case that began with victims coming forward. Report to local police, ic3.gov, and, for minors, NCMEC.
The password may be real if it came from an old breach, but the FTC says the threats are “all talk.” Change the password and don’t pay.
For emotional support in the U.S., call or text 988. For a child, contact NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice, “Nigerian Brothers Sentenced in Sextortion Scheme that Resulted in Death of Teen” (September 2024); NCMEC, “Financial sextortion: a growing crisis” (November 2023); NCMEC, Take It Down; Federal Trade Commission, “Did someone share an explicit image of your child online? Take these steps” (October 2026); Federal Trade Commission, “Scam emails demand Bitcoin, threaten blackmail” (April 2020)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.