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uk Sexual violence & highly sensitive situations

What to do if…
you think your phone camera or microphone was accessed and fear intimate content was captured

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Get to a private, calmer moment, stop using that phone for anything sensitive, and contact specialist intimate image abuse support from a different device if you can.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t confront the person you suspect right now; it may escalate the situation or make them change what they are doing.
  • Don’t keep using the same phone for intimate chats, calls, photos, or searches about this situation.
  • Don’t pay money or comply with demands if someone threatens to share intimate content; it can lead to more pressure or demands.
  • Don’t post about it publicly from the same device.
  • Don’t hand the phone to the person you suspect so they can “check” or “fix” it.

What to do now

  1. Get to a safer pause. If you feel in immediate danger, move away from the person or place if you safely can, and call 999.
  2. Use a different device for support. Use a trusted friend’s phone, a work phone, or a computer you trust. Keep the suspected phone away from sensitive conversations where possible.
  3. Contact specialist help for intimate image abuse. The Revenge Porn Helpline supports UK adults affected by intimate image abuse, including threats to share intimate content and images recorded without consent.
  4. If intimate content may already be online, start with trusted removal routes.
    • Use StopNCII.org if you are an adult and still have the intimate image or video; it can help participating platforms detect and remove copies using a digital fingerprint.
    • Use Report Harmful Content for guidance on reporting intimate image abuse to platforms.
  5. Secure the accounts most likely to expose private content, using the safer device.
    • Change the password for your main email account first.
    • Then change passwords for messaging, social media, cloud photos, and any account linked to the phone camera, microphone, or photo storage.
    • Turn on 2-step verification where available. An authenticator app may be a safer option than text messages if you are worried your number is compromised.
    • Check recent activity and signed-in devices, and sign out of any device you do not recognise.
  6. Reduce the chance of more recording from the phone.
    • Turn off camera and microphone permissions for apps that do not clearly need them.
    • Remove apps you do not recognise or did not install.
    • Install pending phone and app updates.
    • If you suddenly lost signal or received a SIM-change message, contact your mobile network from another phone and ask them to secure your account.
  7. Use reporting routes only if you choose to.
    • For immediate danger, call 999.
    • For non-emergency police contact, call 101.
    • For cyber crime or fraud reporting in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, use Report Fraud.
    • If you live in Scotland, or the incident happened there, contact Police Scotland on 101.
  8. If you may want to report later, keep what you already have. Do not delete threats, messages, emails, or screenshots you already have; store them somewhere safer, such as an email account you control. Do not do deep evidence collecting right now.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide today whether to report to police, take legal action, tell family, or tell an employer.
  • You do not need to prove exactly what happened before asking for help.
  • You do not need to do a factory reset immediately; it can wait until your accounts are safer and you have support.

Important reassurance

Feeling panicked, ashamed, angry, or frozen is a common response to a privacy violation. This is not your fault, and you can take the next step without deciding everything else today.

Scope note

These are first steps only to help you stabilise, reduce further risk, and reach specialist support. Later decisions about device checks, legal options, reporting, or longer-term safety planning may need specialist help.

Important note

This is general information, not legal, medical, therapeutic, technical, or professional advice. If you are in immediate danger, call 999. If you were sexually assaulted or coerced offline, NHS Sexual Assault Referral Centres can provide confidential medical, practical, and emotional support even if you do not want to report to police.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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