If someone is blackmailing you with photos, do not pay and do not send more images: preserve every message, secure your accounts, and report the person to local police and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Threatening to release intimate images to extort money or anything else of value is a federal crime, and the choices you make in the next few hours shape both your safety and any case against the blackmailer.
Don’t Pay, and Don’t Keep Talking
Paying is the instinct. It’s also the wrong move. The FBI has noted that offenders often release the material anyway, because compliance signals you can be squeezed again.1FBI. Sextortion Every payment and every extra image you hand over deepens your exposure.
Stop responding. Do not delete the conversation. If the person is contacting you through social media, hold off on blocking them until you’ve preserved the evidence below. The threat itself is the blackmailer’s weapon; carrying it out usually strips their leverage, which is why most of them stop at the threat.
Preserve the Evidence Before You Do Anything Else
Everything that follows, from a police report to a civil lawsuit, depends on evidence you capture now.
- Screenshot all messages, emails, posts, and demands. Capture usernames, profile pages, and any phone numbers visible in the thread.
- Save original files without cropping, editing, or renaming them. The metadata in an unedited file, including timestamps and device information, helps investigators verify when and where communications happened.
- Back up copies to a separate location — a password-protected cloud account or an encrypted USB drive works. Leave the originals untouched.
- Write a log in chronological order: dates, times, what was said, what was demanded. Note anyone who witnessed the threats or can corroborate your account.
Lock Down Your Accounts
If the blackmailer got the photos by breaking into an account or device, assume other accounts are exposed too. Change passwords on email, cloud storage, and social media. Turn on two-factor authentication everywhere it’s offered. If you think the person still has access to a device or account, contact that platform’s support team to lock the account and begin recovery. The point is to cut off access to any additional photos or personal information before things escalate.
Report to Local Police and the FBI
A police report is not a formality. It creates an official record, opens an investigation, and is the starting point for criminal charges. Bring your organized evidence to your local police department, including screenshots, your log, and any identifying details about the blackmailer. Even if the local department doesn’t have dedicated cybercrime staff, the report establishes jurisdiction and can be referred to specialized units.
Photo blackmail conducted online almost always crosses state lines, which makes it a federal matter. File a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.2IC3. Internet Crime Complaint Center File there even if you’ve already gone to local police; federal and local agencies share information on these cases.
Stay in contact with the investigator assigned to your case. You may be asked for more documentation or a formal statement. Investigations are slow, especially when the blackmailer uses anonymous accounts or is operating from another country. Silence isn’t the same as inaction.
The Laws the Blackmailer Is Breaking
Photo blackmail can trigger several overlapping federal statutes, which is why investigators take these cases seriously.
The statute most directly on point is 18 U.S.C. § 875(d). Anyone who transmits a communication in interstate or foreign commerce threatening to injure someone’s reputation, or to accuse them of a crime, with intent to extort money or anything of value, faces up to two years in federal prison.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 875 – Interstate Communications Because nearly all digital communications cross state lines, this covers the bulk of photo blackmail sent by email, text, DM, or messaging app.
A narrower federal blackmail statute, 18 U.S.C. § 873, covers demands for money in exchange for not reporting a violation of federal law, and carries up to one year.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 873 – Blackmail When repeated electronic threats cause substantial emotional distress, federal cyberstalking law under 18 U.S.C. § 2261A can apply as well.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2261A – Stalking If the blackmailer obtained the photos by hacking a phone, computer, or cloud account, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1030, adds another layer of criminal exposure.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1030 – Fraud and Related Activity in Connection With Computers
Every state also has its own extortion or blackmail statute, and most now have laws specifically criminalizing the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. Penalties range from misdemeanors to felonies depending on the state. Your local police and any attorney you speak with can tell you which state charges apply.
Get the Images Removed, or Blocked Before They’re Posted
If the blackmailer has already posted images, or you’re worried they will, you have tools to move first. Most major social media platforms have dedicated reporting channels for non-consensual intimate images, separate from general abuse reporting. Those reports are usually fast-tracked and can result in removal within hours.
StopNCII.org lets you get ahead of the posting. The tool creates a digital fingerprint (a hash) of intimate images on your own device without uploading the actual photos anywhere. Participating platforms then scan for matches to that hash and remove copies that violate their policies.7StopNCII. How StopNCII.org Works The service runs ongoing checks on participating platforms, so a hash you create today keeps working later.
Platform removal doesn’t erase images from the entire internet, and it isn’t a substitute for legal action. It limits the damage while the case moves forward.
Suing the Blackmailer for Damages
Criminal cases punish the blackmailer. A civil lawsuit compensates you. Since 2022, federal law has given victims a direct path to sue in federal court no matter where they live.
Under 15 U.S.C. § 6851, created by the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, you can bring a civil action against anyone who discloses your intimate images without your consent, so long as the person knew you didn’t consent or recklessly ignored that fact. If you win, you can recover your actual financial losses or $150,000 in fixed statutory damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney’s fees and costs.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 6851 – Civil Action Relating to Disclosure of Intimate Images The statute also lets you file under a pseudonym like Jane Doe or John Doe to protect your identity throughout the case, and a court can order the defendant to stop distributing the images.9U.S. Department of Justice. Sharing of Intimate Images Without Consent: Know Your Rights
One boundary to know: this civil remedy covers actual disclosure of images, not threats alone. If the blackmailer has only threatened but hasn’t yet shared anything, the criminal statutes above are your primary recourse. And the fact that you originally consented to someone taking or receiving a photo does not mean you consented to its distribution; the statute treats those as separate.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 6851 – Civil Action Relating to Disclosure of Intimate Images
Protective Orders
A protective order, sometimes called a restraining order, is a court order that bars the blackmailer from contacting you, approaching you, or continuing the threatening behavior. Violating the order is a separate criminal offense, which gives police an additional basis to arrest.
You file a petition with your local court describing the threats and attach your preserved evidence. A judge can issue a temporary order on the spot, giving you immediate protection, and then schedules a hearing, usually within a few weeks, where both sides can present their case. If the judge finds sufficient grounds, a longer-term order can remain in effect for months or years. Filing fees for protective orders in harassment and stalking cases are waived in most jurisdictions.
If the Victim Is a Minor
When the person being blackmailed is under 18, the case runs on a different track. Any intimate image of a minor is child sexual abuse material under federal law, regardless of who created it or how it was shared. That dramatically increases the criminal consequences for the blackmailer and triggers additional reporting obligations.
Parents or guardians should:
- File a report at report.cybertip.org, which routes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and law enforcement.10National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. CyberTipline
- Contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov. The FBI treats sextortion of minors as a high priority.1FBI. Sextortion
- Preserve evidence the same way: screenshots, original files, and a log of interactions, all before blocking the perpetrator.
- Not punish the child. Minors who are being sextorted are crime victims even if they initially shared an image voluntarily, and fear of punishment is a major reason young victims stay silent.
A parent, guardian, or court-appointed representative can bring the federal civil action under 15 U.S.C. § 6851 on behalf of a minor victim.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 6851 – Civil Action Relating to Disclosure of Intimate Images
If It Looks Like a Scam
A large share of photo blackmail, especially threats coming from strangers online, are scams. The pattern is familiar: someone starts a flirtatious conversation, gets you to share an image or captures one during a video call, and then immediately demands payment. Many of these operations are run at scale by organized groups overseas.
Red flags include demands for cryptocurrency or gift cards, a very short deadline meant to keep you from thinking clearly, and a stranger who initiated contact only hours or days before the demand. In some cases the blackmailer doesn’t actually have a compromising image at all. Even when the material is real, the FBI has observed that offenders often release it whether or not the victim pays.1FBI. Sextortion
Your response is the same either way: don’t pay, preserve the evidence, and report to local police and to IC3. If it’s a scam, you’ve lost nothing by reporting. If it’s real, you’ve already started protecting yourself.
When to Bring in an Attorney
An attorney who handles extortion or cybercrime cases can communicate with law enforcement on your behalf, evaluate whether your situation supports a civil lawsuit under 15 U.S.C. § 6851 or state law, and run the litigation if you decide to sue. They also know how to request court orders that preserve evidence held by tech platforms before it’s deleted.
Beyond the paperwork, the value is in the strategic calls. Whether to respond to the blackmailer at all, whether to file in state or federal court, whether a negotiated resolution is possible without exposing you to further risk — none of these have obvious answers, and getting them wrong can make the situation worse. Many attorneys offer free initial consultations, and some take civil cases on contingency if the facts support a strong damages claim.