If someone is threatening to hurt you, damage your property, or expose private information unless you pay, here is how to report extortion: stop communicating with the person, preserve every message and recording, and file a report with your local police. If the threats came through the internet, email, or any electronic channel, also file with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Call 911 first if you are in immediate physical danger. Extortion is a serious felony, and the steps you take in the first few hours shape everything that follows.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S.C. 1951 – Interference With Commerce by Threats or Violence
Before You Report: The First Hours
Do not pay. Paying an extortionist almost never ends the situation. It signals that the pressure works, and the demands escalate. One payment tends to lead to a second, then a third, each larger than the last.
Stop replying. Every response gives the person leverage and more information about you. Block them on each platform if you can, but do not delete the account, the thread, or any of the messages. Those messages are your case.
Preserve everything. Screenshot every text, direct message, email, and post, making sure the capture includes the sender’s username or phone number, the timestamps, and the full text of the threats. Write down the dates, times, and content of any phone calls or voicemails while the details are fresh. The FBI recommends keeping electronic copies of emails with full header information, copies of web pages, and any other digital records tied to the extortion.2Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Frequently Asked Questions
Handle the files carefully. Digital evidence is fragile. Forwarding, editing, or moving files can strip out metadata investigators need. Save originals in a secure location and let law enforcement do the forensic work.
Where to File the Report
Start with your local police department. Most agencies accept reports in person, by phone, or online.3USAGov. Report a Crime Filing a police report creates the official record and opens the investigation. Call 911 first if you feel you are in immediate physical danger.
If the extortion happened online, by email, or through any communication crossing state lines, file with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. IC3 handles cyber-enabled crimes, including ransomware and online extortion. Your complaint should include your contact information, details of any financial losses, anything you know about the person behind the threats, and a description of what happened. IC3 does not investigate cases itself. Trained analysts review complaints and forward them to the appropriate FBI field office or partner agency.2Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Frequently Asked Questions
You can also report directly to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.4Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sextortion The Department of Justice runs a separate portal for reporting federal crimes at justice.gov.5U.S. Department of Justice. Report a Crime or Submit a Complaint
If the victim is a minor being targeted with sexual images or threats, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. NCMEC’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org accepts reports of child sexual exploitation, and its Take It Down service helps get explicit images of minors removed from the internet.6National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Sextortion NCMEC also takes calls at 1-800-THE-LOST.
Filing with more than one agency is fine and often the right move. A local police report and an IC3 complaint work together: the police can act on the local elements, and IC3 routes the cyber piece into the federal system.
Reporting Online Extortion and Sextortion
Extortion that happens entirely online is now the fastest-growing category. Sextortion is the most common form: someone threatens to share intimate images or videos unless the victim pays money or produces more explicit material. Between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received over 13,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion of minors, involving at least 12,600 victims, primarily boys, and connected to at least 20 suicides.7Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sextortion: A Growing Threat Targeting Minors
Ransomware works on the same coercive logic. An attacker locks your computer or encrypts your files and demands payment, often in cryptocurrency, to restore access. Federal law criminalizes transmitting any threat to damage a computer system, obtain data without authorization, or demand money in connection with computer damage.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S.C. 1030 – Fraud and Related Activity in Connection With Computers
For either scenario, block the person on every platform, but leave your account and messages intact. Report the account through the platform’s own safety tools; most have a dedicated flow for threats and impersonation. Then file with local police and IC3. FBI agents handle these cases regularly and can help stop the harassment and pursue the person behind it.4Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sextortion
Is What Happened to You Actually Extortion?
You do not need to answer this before reporting. Officers and prosecutors decide whether the conduct fits the statute. But it helps to know what the law is looking for.
Federal law defines extortion as obtaining someone’s property with their forced consent through the wrongful use of threats, violence, fear, or abuse of official authority.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S.C. 1951 – Interference With Commerce by Threats or Violence The threats that typically qualify include:
- Threats of physical harm to a person or property.
- Threats to reveal embarrassing or damaging information.
- Threats to accuse the person of a crime.
- A government official threatening to take or withhold official action.
The line between hard negotiation and extortion is narrow. Threatening a lawsuit over a legitimate debt is ordinary. Threatening to publicize unrelated personal information to pressure someone into paying is not. Courts look at how closely the threat connects to any real underlying dispute; the further it strays, the more likely it crosses into extortion. If a threat feels disproportionate to any legitimate claim the person might have against you, that is worth reporting.
What Happens After You Report
Once the report is filed, investigators build the case around the evidence you preserved. Detectives and federal agents collect electronic communications, analyze recordings, and take witness statements. In digital cases, they use legal tools to trace IP addresses and email routing information to identify anonymous perpetrators.
Expect a detailed interview. Investigators will want a timeline: when the threats started, how they were delivered, what exactly was demanded, and whether you made any payments. Be thorough and honest. Inconsistencies between your account and the evidence slow cases down.
For organized or large-scale extortion, law enforcement sometimes runs undercover operations to gather additional evidence. Federal courts have held that trying to instill fear in a federal agent conducting a covert investigation counts as attempted extortion, so the operation itself is on solid legal ground.9United States Department of Justice Archives. 2403 – Hobbs Act, Extortion by Force, Violence, or Fear
If the person is convicted, federal law requires the judge to order restitution. For offenses involving property loss, the court must order the defendant to return what was taken or pay its full value. If the extortion caused physical injury, restitution also covers medical expenses, therapy, and lost income, and victims are entitled to reimbursement for expenses tied to participating in the investigation or prosecution, including transportation and childcare.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S.C. 3663A – Mandatory Restitution to Victims of Certain Crimes
Protective Orders and Civil Claims
Criminal prosecution punishes the extortionist, but it does not always make you whole. You can pursue civil remedies alongside the criminal case.
If the threats or harassment are ongoing, ask a court for a protective order. These orders can prohibit the person from contacting you, coming near your home or workplace, or continuing the threatening behavior. Judges can issue temporary orders quickly, sometimes within a day of filing. Violating a protective order is itself a separate criminal offense.
A civil lawsuit can seek damages beyond what criminal restitution covers, including compensation for emotional distress. Some states recognize a distinct civil cause of action for extortion; others allow victims to sue under broader theories like intentional infliction of emotional distress or duress. An attorney familiar with your state’s law can advise on the strongest approach.
Report Sooner Rather Than Later
There is a deadline for prosecuting extortion. Under federal law, the general statute of limitations for non-capital crimes is five years from the date of the offense, and no special extension applies to extortion.11Library of Congress. Statute of Limitation in Federal Criminal Cases: An Overview If the extortionist flees the jurisdiction, the clock stops until they are found. State statutes of limitations for felony extortion typically fall in the three-to-five-year range, though the exact period varies.
Reporting quickly gives prosecutors more time to build the case and keeps the evidence fresh. The extortion is a crime the moment the threat is made. You are not overreacting by treating it that way.