🚨 Someone Is Blackmailing Me

Don’t panic. Don’t pay. Don’t let the blackmailer control you.

Blackmail can involve threats to publish private photographs, videos, conversations, personal information, or other sensitive material. It may also involve threats of physical harm, reputational damage, or financial demands.

⚡ What to do right now

1️⃣ Do NOT pay

Paying does not guarantee that the blackmailer will stop. It can lead to further demands.

Do not negotiate or make additional payments.

2️⃣ Preserve the evidence 📸

Before blocking or deleting anything, preserve:

• Screenshots of threats and conversations
• Phone numbers and usernames
• Social-media profiles
• Emails and email headers where available
• URLs
• Payment demands and transaction details
• Dates and times of communications
• Any files or images sent to you

Don’t alter or edit the original evidence unnecessarily.

3️⃣ Don’t send more information

Do not provide:

❌ OTPs
❌ Passwords
❌ Bank details
❌ Identity documents
❌ Additional photographs/videos
❌ Your location
❌ Access to your phone or accounts

4️⃣ Secure your accounts 🔐

Change passwords for accounts that may be compromised and enable two-factor authentication.

Check social-media privacy settings and review active/linked devices.

5️⃣ Report the account

After preserving evidence, report the blackmailer to the relevant platform. If intimate content is involved, use the platform’s reporting mechanism for non-consensual intimate imagery/sexual exploitation where available.

6️⃣ Report the crime 🚨

If you are in India, report cybercrime through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or call 1930 where financial cyber fraud is involved.

If the person is threatening immediate physical harm, contact the police/emergency services immediately and move to a safe location.

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📸 If they’re threatening to publish intimate images

You are not responsible for the blackmailer’s actions.

Do not pay simply because they threaten to release the material. Preserve the threats and report the account/content.

If intimate images of you have already been uploaded, document where they appear and report them to the platform for removal. Where appropriate, legal remedies may also be available to seek protection against further dissemination.

If you’re under 18

Tell a trusted adult immediately and report the matter to the authorities. Do not forward or redistribute sexual images involving a minor, even for evidence purposes.

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💡 Remember

Blackmail works through fear, urgency and isolation.

The scammer wants you to believe:

“Pay now or everything will be exposed.”

Instead:

STOP → PRESERVE → SECURE → REPORT

You don’t have to handle this alone.