Someone I met online threatens to post my private photos unless I pay. What should I do?
Do not pay and do not send more photos: paying never ends it, the demands only grow. Stop replying, save the evidence, block the account and report it to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group or the NBI Cybercrime Division. You are the victim here, not the one who did something wrong.
This scam is called sextortion. The person is often a fake profile, sometimes with a recorded video instead of a real person on the call. They collect your friend list and then threaten to send the photos to your family, your school or your workplace. The threat is designed to make you panic and pay before you think.
Most of the time, the scammer moves on when the victim stops responding, because they are working many targets at once.
Step by step
- Do not pay, not even a small amount "to make them stop".
- Take screenshots of the profile, the threats and any payment details they gave you.
- Stop replying and block the account on every app.
- Report the profile to the platform and set your accounts to private for a while.
- Report to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) or the NBI Cybercrime Division, or call the CICC hotline 1326.
- Tell someone you trust. You do not have to go through this alone.
Frequently asked questions
- I already paid once. What now?
- Stop paying now. Save the proof of payment, contact GCash or your bank, and include it in your report.
- Can Veritaza check the person who is threatening me?
- You can send the profile photos, the number, the username and the messages. Veritaza checks for stolen photos, copied scripts and numbers linked to scams, which can help you understand that it is an organised scam, not a person who knows you.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you are talking to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email, the name and the ID, for ₱199.
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