What to do about sextortion

Name what is happening

Someone is using private images, chats or personal information to make you pay, meet or obey. That is coercion, even if you once trusted the person.

Do not treat it as a normal breakup or a private misunderstanding. Threats and demands need a safety plan and, in many cases, police involvement.

Step one: stop the payments

Paying once may feel like buying time, but it often proves that you can be pressured. The demands may pause and then return larger.

Stop transfers, gift cards, crypto payments and any new images. Do not agree to a secret meeting to settle the matter.

Step two: preserve the evidence

Save the full conversation, the account profile, phone numbers, payment records and the pages where content was posted. Keep the original files when possible.

Do not edit or delete the chat. If you need to remove the app from your phone, back up the evidence first and ask the police or a lawyer how to preserve it properly.

Step three: platform and police

Report the account to the platform and ask for the content to be removed. Keep the report number and any response.

In China, call 110 if there is extortion, a threat to publish intimate images or a risk to your physical safety. Ask for a receipt and keep it with your evidence.

Three myths that make it worse

• Paying will make it stop: it often increases the demands.
• Talking privately will settle it: it gives the person more time and attention.
• Reporting will expose you: platforms and police have procedures for sensitive cases, and you can ask about privacy protection.

You are not the one who should feel ashamed

Being targeted is not proof that you are foolish or immoral. The person who threatens and distributes private images is responsible for that conduct.

Tell someone you trust, contact a psychological support service if you need one, and do not face the pressure alone.