To report sextortion, preserve every message and identifier before you block the person, then file with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, your local police, and the platform where the threats happened. If a minor is involved, also report to the CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST. Knowing how to report sextortion matters less than acting fast: platforms delete inactive account data on a rolling basis, so the sooner you file, the more investigators can recover.
Stop Engaging and Don’t Pay
The first move is to stop responding. Don’t pay. Don’t send more images. Paying does not end the threat because the perpetrator still has the material and can demand more, and FBI data shows they frequently release the content even after being paid.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sextortion
This holds even if you sent the images willingly in the first place. A consensual exchange becomes criminal the moment someone uses it as leverage. The threat itself is the crime, and your cooperation with that threat only extends it.
Preserve Evidence Before You Block
Investigators need specifics, not summaries. Collect everything you can before the account disappears or you lose access to the thread.
- Usernames, profile URLs, email addresses, and phone numbers the person used
- The specific app or website where contact and threats happened
- Screenshots of every threat and demand, with date and time stamps visible
- The exact dollar or cryptocurrency amount requested, the payment method, and any transaction records if you paid
- The full conversation exported in its original digital format, not just screenshots
Original message exports matter more than screenshots because they carry metadata (timestamps, IP information, device details) that screenshots strip out. Most messaging apps let you export chat histories. Do that first, then take screenshots as backup, then block.
Law enforcement can ask platforms to preserve data tied to an account, but platforms routinely delete inactive account data over time. Speed is on the perpetrator’s side the longer you wait.
Get the Images Taken Down
Two free hash-based services help stop intimate images from spreading on participating platforms. Which one you use depends on your age when the images were made.
If you were under 18 when the images were taken, use NCMEC’s Take It Down. The tool generates a digital fingerprint (a hash) of the image on your own device without uploading the image itself, then sends that hash to participating platforms, which scan their services and remove matching content. You don’t need to share your name or any personal information, but you do need to run it from the device where the images are stored. The service still works if you’re now an adult, as long as you were a minor when the content was created.2National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Take It Down FAQ
If you were 18 or older when the images were taken, StopNCII.org runs the equivalent hash-based removal service for adults.3National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Take It Down Both tools share the same limits: they only cover participating platforms and cannot reach content on encrypted services.
If a minor is being threatened with distribution of intimate images, file a report at CyberTipline.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) in addition to using Take It Down.2National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Take It Down FAQ
Where to Report
Use more than one channel. Each one does something the others don’t.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
The IC3 at ic3.gov is the primary federal intake point. The form asks for your contact details, the subject’s identifying information, a description of the incident, and financial loss and transaction information.4Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Frequently Asked Questions Fill in every field you can. The data you provide decides how the complaint is routed.
Save or print a copy of your complaint as soon as it submits. IC3 does not email you an electronic version, and you can’t access the submitted complaint again after you close the page.4Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Frequently Asked Questions The FBI cannot investigate every complaint and does not provide status updates; if an investigator needs more from you, they’ll reach out using the contact information you entered.5Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Resources
When the threat feels urgent or a minor is involved, go directly to a local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sextortion
Local Police
A local police report creates a separate record that can support criminal prosecution and any civil action you later file. Local agencies often coordinate with federal partners when a case crosses state lines or involves international suspects. Even if the perpetrator is overseas, a local report documents the crime in your jurisdiction and can be necessary for getting a protective order.
The Platform Where It Happened
Reporting to the platform does two things: it can get the account suspended, and it can trigger photo-matching technology that blocks the images from being reposted. On Instagram, reporting a profile for threatening to share private images sends it to a trained review team, and content that violates policy is blocked from future uploads across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger using photo-matching tools.6Instagram. If Someone Shares an Intimate Photo of You on Instagram Most major platforms run similar programs.
File platform reports after you’ve saved your evidence. Suspending or deleting the account can take the thread with it.
Laws That Apply to Your Case
Prosecutors can charge sextortion under several overlapping federal statutes, and which one they pick depends on what the perpetrator did, how the threat traveled, and whether a child is involved. Transmitting a threat across state lines or over the internet to extort money carries up to two years under 18 U.S.C. § 875(d).7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 875 – Interstate Communications Repeated, escalating contact that causes substantial emotional distress or reasonable fear of serious injury can be charged as cyberstalking under 18 U.S.C. § 2261A, with penalties reaching five years for a standard case.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2261A – Stalking
The TAKE IT DOWN Act created a direct federal prohibition on publishing nonconsensual intimate images, with up to two years for images of an adult and three years when a minor is depicted. Threatening to publish such images carries the same penalties, and the law also reaches AI-generated deepfake intimate images.9Congress.gov. The TAKE IT DOWN Act – A Federal Law Prohibiting Nonconsensual Intimate Images
Cases involving minors are far more serious. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2251, coercing a minor into producing sexually explicit images carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 for a first offense, rising to 25-to-50 on a second conviction.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2251 – Sexual Exploitation of Children
Every state has general extortion or coercion laws that reach sextortion, and most have specific statutes targeting the nonconsensual sharing of intimate images. State charges commonly escalate to a felony when the victim is a minor, when the images are posted online or sent to multiple people, when the perpetrator demanded payment, or when it’s a repeat offense.
Suing the Person Who Did This
Criminal prosecution is not your only path. A federal civil right of action for victims of nonconsensual intimate images, codified at 15 U.S.C. § 6851, lets you sue in federal court for money damages or injunctive relief.9Congress.gov. The TAKE IT DOWN Act – A Federal Law Prohibiting Nonconsensual Intimate Images State-level civil suits typically rest on tort claims like intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy, and some states have specific statutory causes of action for sexual extortion victims that cover emotional distress and financial losses. Some states also allow wrongful death suits when a victim dies by suicide as a result of sextortion.
Protective order filing fees are generally free across all U.S. states and territories. Attorney fees for representation are separate.
If you need to shield your identity during a civil case, courts in many jurisdictions allow victims to proceed under a pseudonym such as “Jane Doe” when the need for anonymity outweighs any prejudice to the other side. This usually requires a motion showing factors like the severity of the harm and your vulnerability to further exploitation.