Someone is threatening to share my photos. What do I do?

A message arrives from someone you met online, or from an account you have never seen. They have a photo or a video of you. They say they will send it to your friends, your family or your school unless you pay or send more. This is sextortion, and it is a crime. In 2023, NCMEC received more than 186,800 reports of online enticement, the category that includes it. This page shows what to do in the first hour. It also covers how to keep the proof safe and where to get the images blocked. We checked each step against NCMEC, StopNCII, the Revenge Porn Helpline, the FTC, Apple and Google on 2026-10-08.

If you are under 18, start here

Tell an adult you trust before you do anything else. A parent, a school counselor, a coach or an older relative. NCMEC says the problem “can be very complex and require help from adults or professionals”. It also says “the blackmailer is to blame, not you”.

You will not be the one in trouble. The person who threatens you is breaking the law. Then use the CyberTipline and Take It Down in the help box above. In the UK, Childline takes calls from anyone under 19 on 0800 1111.

What to do in the first hour

The steps above, in order, are the short version. Some details matter.

Do not pay, and do not send anything new. The Revenge Porn Helpline puts it plainly: “Do not give them any time or money and do not negotiate.”

Stop replying, but keep everything. It is normal to want the whole thing gone. But NCMEC says “DO NOT DELETE your profile or messages because that can be helpful in stopping the blackmailer.” Leave the chat in place until you report.

Save the proof with screenshots. Capture these, one screenshot each if needed:

• the account name and the profile page, including the handle or the link to it
• every message with a demand or a threat
• payment details they sent, such as a gift card request or a wallet address
• the date and time shown on each message

Save the messages and the account details. Do not forward or repost the images to anyone, even to show a friend.

Report, then block. Use the platform’s own report tool on the account. Then block it and mute the chat. In the US, also report to the CyberTipline. The FTC says NCMEC “make your report available to the appropriate law enforcement agency”, and lists 1-800-CALL-FBI for the FBI.

How to get the images blocked

Two free services make a digital fingerprint of an image, called a hash. The image itself stays on your phone. Only the hash goes to the service, which shares it with the platforms that take part. They can then find and remove copies.

Your age in the image	Use	What it says about your image
Under 18	Take It Down (NCMEC)	“Your image or video remains on your device and is not uploaded.”
18 or older	StopNCII.org	It does “not download the images from your device”.

You need a copy of the image on your phone to make the hash. StopNCII’s home page asks what to do “if someone is threatening to share your intimate images”. So you do not have to wait for a post.

Since May 19, 2026, the US TAKE IT DOWN Act also requires covered platforms to remove reported intimate images within 48 hours. The shared without consent page covers removal requests, Google Search and what to do if a platform does not act.

Keep the proof and the photos out of reach

Your screenshots of the threats now sit in your camera roll, next to everything else. Anyone who picks up your phone, or scrolls your photos on a family iPad, can see them. The same is true for any private photos you still have.

On iPhone, the Hidden album moves photos out of the main view, but it opens with your phone passcode. On Android, the Google Photos Locked Folder uses your screen lock. If someone at home knows that code, read what a passcode opens.

York Vault keeps items behind a separate code, on iPhone and Android. Give the album with your proof its own album code. Then it stays closed even when the library is open. The sensitive photo scan finds intimate photos and private screenshots in the camera roll, on the phone, with nothing sent anywhere. York Vault then removes the originals from Photos after it checks each copy. The Recently Deleted guide shows how to clear the last copy.

Your items back up encrypted to your own iCloud or Google Drive, so the proof survives a lost phone. We cannot open them. See what we can and cannot see.

Keep proof in York Vault. Do not keep the only copy there if police or a lawyer may need it. Ask them how they want to receive it.

Turn on the nudity warnings in your messages

Both phones can blur nude images before you see them.

• iPhone: go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Sensitive Content Warning, and turn it on. Apple says it covers Messages, AirDrop, FaceTime video messages and more. The check runs on the device, and Apple “doesn’t get access to the photos or videos”.
• Android, Google Messages: tap your profile picture, then Messages settings, Protection & safety, Manage sensitive content warnings. Turn on Warnings in Google Messages. Google says it is on by default for users under 18 and off by default for adults.

If the warning shows on an iMessage or a FaceTime video call, Apple lets you report the sender to Apple. These warnings do not stop a threat. They give you a pause before an image opens, and a quick way to block the sender.