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title: "Report Sextortion: What To Do If You Are Blackmailed | AMP"
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# Being Blackmailed With Intimate Content? Here Is What To Do.
Sextortion is when someone threatens to publish or send your intimate photos or videos unless you pay them or send more content. The first steps are free and do not need any company: do not pay, keep the evidence, report it, and block your images with the free tools listed below. The FBI warns that paying does not guarantee the content stays private.
Reviewed and approved by Chris, founder of Adult Model Protection. Last reviewed 31 October 2026. Legal review by Prem, a lawyer specialising in copyright law.
Do not payFBI advice to anyone being threatened
FreeIC3, Take It Down, StopNCII and helplines
24-72hOur removal estimate once published, not a guarantee
The FBI also warns about for-profit companies that charge sextortion victims for help, and says law enforcement and non-profit organizations help victims at no charge (IC3 public service announcement [PSA230407](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230407)). So we want to be clear about what Adult Model Protection is and is not. We never contact or negotiate with the person threatening you. We are a paid service for one part of the problem: finding and requesting removal of copies of your content once they are published.
This page first explains what to do right now, how these threats usually work and what the law says. It then explains, separately, what our removal service does if content is published. Removal of published copies needs a paid plan: Essentials covers search engine de-indexing and up to 100 platform notices a month, and removals on social media and messengers such as Instagram, Snapchat, Telegram and Discord need the Luxe or a higher plan.
If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services now. If the person in the images is under 18, or the images were taken before they turned 18: report it to the NCMEC [CyberTipline](https://report.cybertip.org/) and use [Take It Down](https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/) to block the images; AMP serves adults only, so please use those services. Adults can report the crime to the FBI ([IC3.gov](https://www.ic3.gov/)) and block their intimate images with [StopNCII.org](https://stopncii.org/) (18 and over). If you are struggling, you do not have to deal with this alone: in the US call or text 988 ([988 Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/)) or the [CCRI Crisis Helpline](https://cybercivilrights.org/ccri-crisis-helpline/) on 844-878-2274; in the UK, the [Revenge Porn Helpline](https://revengepornhelpline.org.uk/). All of these are free.
## The First Hour: What To Do Right Now
These steps follow the advice of the FBI and IC3. None of them costs money, and you can take all of them yourself.
- Do not pay, and do not send any more photos, videos or information.
- Save the evidence first: take screenshots of the threats, the demands, the account or profile, usernames, links and any payment details they sent.
- Report the account through the platform's own safety or report feature, then block the sender.
- Report the crime to the FBI at IC3.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI, or to your local police or national cybercrime body.
- Secure your accounts: change passwords and turn on two-factor (multi-factor) authentication.
- If you still have the images, create a case at StopNCII.org yourself to help block them on participating platforms.
## Why You Should Not Pay
Paying feels like the fastest way to end the threat, which is why offenders demand it. The FBI says that cooperating with the offender rarely stops the blackmail and harassment ([IC3 sextortion warning](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230605)), and IC3 warns that complying does not guarantee your photos or videos will not be shared. The FBI also notes that some offenders publish the images even after being paid. There is no agreement you can enforce with someone committing a crime ([IC3](https://www.ic3.gov/)).
Not paying does not mean doing nothing. It means moving from the offender's terms to evidence, reporting and, if content is published, removal requests.
## How Sextortion Usually Works
According to the FBI, offenders often make contact through a fake profile or a hacked account, claim to have intimate images and demand money, gift cards, mobile payments, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or more explicit material. They create urgency with a deadline, threats to send the images to family, friends and followers, and sometimes screenshots of your followers, friends and family.
The FBI says many financially motivated offenders run dozens of online accounts and target many people at once. Some do not have real images at all and instead edit an ordinary photo of the victim into an explicit one. Others obtained images through a hacked account or by deceiving the victim. Some offenders do carry out the threat, so take it seriously: save the evidence, report it, and look at the removal routes below.
## What the Law Says
In the United States, threatening to injure someone's reputation to extort money or something else of value is a federal crime ([18 U.S.C. 875(d)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/875)). The [TAKE IT DOWN Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146), signed into law on 19 May 2025, makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of an identifiable adult without consent, including AI-generated ones, and separately punishes threats to publish them ([47 U.S.C. 223(h)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/223)). For real images the offence has conditions: the person had a reasonable expectation of privacy, the images were not voluntarily exposed in a public or commercial setting, they are not a matter of public concern, and harm was intended or caused. Sharing an image with one person does not mean consenting to its publication.
Since 19 May 2026, covered platforms must remove a reported intimate image within 48 hours of a valid request and make reasonable efforts to identify and remove known identical copies, and the [FTC enforces that duty](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/05/ftc-begins-enforcing-take-it-down-act). Because the crime does not apply to what was voluntarily exposed in a public or commercial setting, a lawyer can say how it applies to content you sell; for paid content, a copyright (DMCA) notice is the usual route. State laws vary.
Other places have their own laws. In England and Wales, threatening to share an intimate photo or film is an offence under [section 66B of the Sexual Offences Act 2003](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/section/66B), added by the Online Safety Act 2023, and the prosecution does not need to prove the image exists. In Canada, [section 162.1 of the Criminal Code](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-162.1.html) covers publishing intimate images without consent. In the EU, [Directive (EU) 2024/1385](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1385/oj) requires member states to make non-consensual sharing, and threats to share in order to coerce someone, a criminal offence.
Threatening to publish someone's images to get money or more content is extortion, whatever you do for a living. Reporting it is the right step. If you are unsure about your own situation, ask a lawyer: Adult Model Protection is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
Related: [Privacy Removal](https://adultmodelprotection.com/services/private-information-removal)
## Free Routes You Can Use Yourself
You can do a lot without paying anyone. Reporting to IC3, the NCMEC CyberTipline and the police is free. StopNCII.org creates a hash (a digital fingerprint) of your images and shares it with participating platforms so they can block exact copies; it only accepts hashes from the person in the image, it works on participating platforms only, and an edited copy needs its own hash. Google accepts [removal requests for sexual images](https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/16305143) in its results, whether the content is real or fake, and you can file that form yourself.
_The free official routes come first; AMP is a paid service for removing copies that are published._
## If Content Has Been Published: What AMP Does
Removal is not always possible. IC3 warns that once content is shared online it can be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove once others have copied or posted it. What we can do is find copies and request their removal, and platforms decide.
What AMP adds to the free routes is the work of finding and following the copies. Our team runs regular scans of Google, Bing and Yandex and more than 500 known leak and piracy sites, plus reverse image searches with the content assets you upload and manual searches. Your content assets are used only to search for copies and are never shared with third parties; the takedown team works with links and checks a page by hand only when needed. You can also submit links yourself from your dashboard.
- Copyright (DMCA) notices filed under the name Adult Model Protection as your authorized agent, each checked by a person before it is sent
- NCII and privacy reports and TAKE IT DOWN Act requests filed as your authorized representative, within your plan's limits
- Search engine de-indexing requests to Google and Bing for pages that show your content
- Escalation to hosting providers, registrars, ISPs, Cloudflare and payment processors, and to Telegram or Discord abuse teams, when a site does not act
- Removal checks after each notice, a follow-up when a page is still up, and a new notice for copies found in later scans
- A notification when a scan finds a new copy, and every request and its status in your dashboard
Our estimate for a first removal from a responsive site is 24 to 72 hours. It is an estimate, not a guarantee, and some sites take longer or do not act. We do not identify who made or leaked content, and we never contact the person threatening you.
The rights holder named on a copyright notice is your model (stage) name, and the platform may show it to the uploader; Google and Bing send copies of notices to Lumen, which may publish it. Your legal name is only shared with your consent, and only with a recipient that needs it and keeps it confidential; it is never shared with Google, Bing, X, Cloudflare or others that publish or forward notices. You can withdraw that consent at any time from your account.
If someone files a counter-notice against a copyright notice, the platform may restore the content after 10 to 14 business days unless it is told within that period that the copyright owner has filed a court action ([US Copyright Office](https://www.copyright.gov/512/); see [how a DMCA notice works](https://adultmodelprotection.com/services/dmca-takedowns-adult-content)). Our takedown team tells you when a counter-notice arrives and explains your options; the decision is yours.
When the published material includes your personal details, such as your real name or address, [private information removal](https://adultmodelprotection.com/services/private-information-removal) on the Luxe and higher plans covers requests to remove them. When the images are AI-made, see [deepfake removal](https://adultmodelprotection.com/services/deepfake-removal), part of the Glamour plan.
## Lowering the Risk Later
No one can remove the risk completely, but a few habits help, and they follow the FBI and IC3 advice above.
- Use strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication on every account
- Be careful with new contacts who quickly push a conversation toward intimate content
- If someone threatens to share images you have, create a StopNCII.org case yourself
- Keep your work and personal identities separate where you can
- Know the first-hour steps in advance, so panic does not make the first decision
## Your Wellbeing Comes First
Sextortion is designed to make you feel ashamed and alone. None of this is your fault, and doing adult work does not make you any less the victim of a crime. Telling one trusted person, or calling one of the free helplines in the box at the top of this page, is a good first step.
## If the content shows you under 18, or you are in danger
- Explicit images or videos of you taken before you were 18: use NCMEC's free [Take It Down](https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/) service and report to the [CyberTipline](https://report.cybertip.org/). Adult Model Protection serves adults only.
- Explicit images of you as an adult shared without your consent: [StopNCII.org](https://stopncii.org/) is a free tool. If someone is threatening you, see [sextortion and blackmail help](https://adultmodelprotection.com/services/sextortion-blackmail-help).
- If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text [988](https://988lifeline.org/) in the US, or your local emergency number.
## How It Works
Our team runs the scans, and every notice is checked by our takedown team before it is sent. Here is what happens from the moment you register to the moment we check that your content is gone.
1
### Free Steps First
Do not pay, save the evidence, report the account and the crime, and block your images with StopNCII. All of this is free and you do it yourself.
2
### Choose a Plan if You Need Removal
If copies are published, a paid plan covers removal requests. Social media and messenger removals need Luxe or higher.
3
### Finding Published Copies
Our team runs scans, reverse image searches with your content assets and manual searches, and you can submit links yourself.
4
### Notices and Reports
We file copyright notices as your agent and NCII or TAKE IT DOWN Act requests as your representative, each checked by a person.
5
### Search Results and Escalation
We ask Google and Bing to de-index pages, and escalate to hosts, registrars and payment processors when a site does not act.
6
### Removal Checks and Reposts
We check whether each page is gone and follow up when it is not. Copies found in later scans get a new notice.
## Platforms We Cover
Platforms and sites this service covers.
Google, Bing and Yandex Results
Known Leak and Piracy Sites
Tube Sites
File Hosts
Instagram
Snapchat
Telegram
Discord
Reddit
X (Twitter)
## Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if someone is blackmailing me with intimate photos or videos?
Do not pay and do not send anything more. Save screenshots of the threats, the account and any payment details, report the account to the platform and then block it, and report the crime to the FBI at IC3.gov, by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI, or to your local police. Secure your accounts with new passwords and multi-factor authentication. If you have the images, create a StopNCII.org case. All of this is free.
Is AMP a free sextortion help service?
No. Adult Model Protection is a paid service for finding and requesting removal of copies of your content once they are published. The official reporting routes, StopNCII, Take It Down and the helplines are free, and the FBI warns about companies that charge victims for sextortion help. We never contact or negotiate with the person threatening you. Our Free plan includes a quarterly web scan but no takedowns.
Will AMP contact or negotiate with the blackmailer?
No, never. We do not contact the offender, we do not negotiate, and we do not identify who made or leaked content. Reporting the crime to IC3 or the police is the route for the offender; our work is limited to removal requests for published copies.
They threatened to send the content to my family and followers. Will they?
No one can know for sure. The FBI says offenders do threaten to send images to family, friends and followers, and that some distribute them even after being paid. Take the threat seriously: save the evidence, report it, block your images with StopNCII if you have them, and if content is published, request its removal.
Which plan do I need for removal?
Removal of published copies needs a paid plan. Essentials covers unlimited search engine de-indexing, up to 100 platform notices a month and escalation. Removals on social media and messengers such as Instagram, Snapchat, Telegram and Discord need Luxe or a higher plan, and private information removal is included from Luxe. The Free plan includes a quarterly web scan but no takedowns.
Do I have to look at the content during the process?
You do not have to view it repeatedly. Our takedown team works with links and checks a page by hand only when needed, and you follow each request and its status in your dashboard. Your content assets are used only to search for copies and are never shared with third parties.
## Free Routes First, Removal When You Need It
Report the threat and block your images with the free tools above. If copies are published, Adult Model Protection requests their removal. Start with the Free plan and its quarterly web scan to see what is already out there.
[Start Free Plan](https://app.adultmodelprotection.com/signup?redirect=/subscribe) [ View Pricing](https://adultmodelprotection.com/pricing)