What To Do If Someone Is Blackmailing You Online

If someone is threatening to share your intimate images, demanding money, or using private information to control you — you are not alone, and there are clear steps you can take right now.

Rule Number One: Do Not Pay

Paying does not make it stop. In almost every case, the blackmailer demands more money after the first payment. Do not send anything.

The First 24 Hours

1. Do Not Respond

Do not reply to the threat. Do not engage. Do not negotiate. Every response gives the blackmailer more leverage.

2. Screenshot Everything

Before they delete anything, take screenshots of:

• The threatening messages
• Their profile
• Any demands made
• Any images or content they are threatening to share
• Timestamps

3. Do Not Delete Messages

Your messages are evidence. Do not delete them, even if reading them is painful.

4. Lock Down Your Accounts

• Set all social media to private immediately
• Change passwords on email, social media, and mobile money
• Enable 2FA on everything
• Block the blackmailer on the platform where they contacted you

5. Tell Someone You Trust

This is the hardest step but the most important. Tell one person in your safety circle what is happening. You should not carry this alone.

6. Report to the Platform

Every major platform has a process for reporting sextortion:

• Facebook/Instagram: Report → Nudity/Sexual exploitation
• WhatsApp: Settings → Help → Contact us
• TikTok: Report → Harassment
• X (Twitter): Report → Abusive behaviour

7. Contact the Police

In Ghana, report to the Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service. If you are a student, your university's student welfare office can also help.

Important: This Is Not Your Fault

Blackmailers exploit trust and vulnerability. Regardless of how the images were created or shared, using them to threaten and extort is a crime. The shame belongs to the blackmailer, not to you.

Get Support

SafeHer Foundation offers confidential consultations for sextortion and online blackmail response. Book a session.

Take the full course: Sextortion, Blackmail and Online Harassment Response