Sextortion / intimate image threat
Also known as: video call blackmail, nude leak threat, morphed image extortion
Behavioural sequence
How the script progresses
Friendly contact
- Unknown attractive profile initiates contact
- Conversation moves quickly to video
Recording made
- A video call took place
- Screen recording or screenshots were captured
Threat to publish
- Threatened with sending content to your contact list
- Shown a list of your friends or family
Payment demanded
- Money demanded to stop publication
Content published
- Content posted to a platform or sent to contacts
Likely next move
Friendly contact
They will steer you to a video call and record it without telling you.
Recording made
They will show you the recording and threaten to send it to your contacts.
Threat to publish
They will demand payment with a very short deadline to stop you from thinking.
Payment demanded
Paying does not end it. The demand will repeat and usually increase.
Content published
Copies will be re-uploaded. Removal needs hash-based blocking, not one takedown request.
Do not do this
- Do not pay. Payment reliably leads to further demands, not deletion.
- Do not delete the chat or block them before you have preserved the evidence.
- You have not done anything illegal by being a victim of this. You can report anonymously.
Sources
StopNCII.org — hash-based blocking for over-18s · Retrieved 2026-08-22
Take It Down (NCMEC) — for content taken under 18 · Retrieved 2026-08-22
I4C / cybercrime.gov.in — women & children reporting · Retrieved 2026-08-22