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us Sexual violence & highly sensitive situations

What to do if…
someone claims to have an intimate video or webcam recording and threatens to share it

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

Short answer

Move to a safe, private place, do not pay or send anything else, and stop engaging with the sender. Tell one trusted person, secure your accounts, and use the appropriate specialist service for your age and circumstances.

Do not do these things

  • Do not pay, send more intimate material, provide passwords, or give access to your accounts, devices, or financial information.
  • Do not assume that complying once will end the threats.
  • Do not keep arguing, threatening, or negotiating with the sender.
  • Do not circulate the alleged recording to show other people what happened.
  • Do not download an intimate file solely to submit it to a removal or hashing service.
  • Do not make major decisions about relationships, work, school, or leaving online platforms while you are panicked.

What to do now

  1. Get to a private place where you feel physically safe. If the person knows your location or is threatening immediate physical harm to you or someone else, call 911.

  2. Stop meeting the person’s demands. Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, account access, or additional images or video.

  3. If it is safe, save screenshots of the threats and record the sender’s username, profile link, payment demand, and the date and time, without downloading, forwarding, or making new copies of sexual content.

  4. Stop replying. Report the account through the platform’s option for sexual exploitation, extortion, harassment, or nonconsensual intimate imagery, then block or mute it.

  5. Secure your email, social media, cloud storage, and messaging accounts from a device you trust. Change any reused passwords, turn on multi-factor authentication, review active sessions, and reduce the visibility of your contact lists and profiles.

  6. Tell one trusted person what is happening. Ask them to stay with you while you secure your accounts or contact a support service if doing this alone feels overwhelming.

  7. If you were under 18 when the recording was made and the file is already on your device, you can use NCMEC’s Take It Down service even if you are now an adult. Do not download or ask someone to send you the file for this purpose; use NCMEC’s CyberTipline if you do not have it or need further help.

  8. If you are now 18 or older, were 18 or older in the recording, appear in it, and already have the file on your device, you can check whether StopNCII can create a digital fingerprint for participating platforms. The file remains on your device during the hashing process.

  9. You can choose whether to report the threats to local police, the FBI through its online tip form, or IC3 for cyber-enabled crime. Reports involving the sexual exploitation of someone under 18 should go to NCMEC’s CyberTipline.

  10. Contact the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s Image Abuse Helpline or Safety Center for specialist support. If you might harm yourself or cannot stay safe, call or text 988; call 911 for immediate danger.

What can wait

You do not need to decide now whether to confront the person, tell a wider group, pursue legal action, contact your workplace or school, or leave every online platform. You also do not need to prove immediately whether the claimed recording is genuine, altered, fabricated, or a deepfake.

Important reassurance

The threat is not your fault, whether the recording is real, manipulated, or only claimed. Paying or complying cannot guarantee that the person will stop, and specialist services can help you consider your next step without requiring you to handle this alone.

Scope note

This guide covers immediate safety, account protection, specialist support, and basic reporting options only. Later decisions about removal requests, police reports, legal action, workplace or school contact, and ongoing safety may require specialist help.

Important note

This is general information, not legal, law-enforcement, cybersecurity, medical, or mental-health advice. Available procedures may vary by platform, state, age, and circumstances; use emergency services when there is an immediate safety risk.

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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