1. What sextortion looks like
A stranger builds trust quickly, moves the conversation toward explicit images or video, then threatens to share what they have with your contacts or online unless you pay. Some versions now use AI-generated deepfake images instead of real ones, which makes the threat no less distressing but does not make it any more legitimate.
2. Financial scams
Investment opportunities, cryptocurrency schemes, and urgent requests for gift cards or bank transfers are common versions of the same underlying pattern: someone you have not met asking for money.
3. If it happens to you
- Do not pay. Paying rarely ends the threat and often invites further demands.
- Stop responding, but keep evidence: screenshots, usernames, payment requests.
- Block and report the account on SubDom immediately.
- Contact the organisations below. This happens to a lot of people, and they will not judge you for it.
4. Who to contact
- Revenge Porn Helpline, for threats involving intimate images, UK adults: 0345 6000 459
- Report Fraud, for financial scams: 0300 123 2040
- Police: 101, or 999 if you are in immediate danger