Sextortion Email Scams: What to Do When Someone Claims They Have Your Private Photos

The email arrives with a jolt. A stranger says they hacked your computer, recorded you through the webcam while you watched adult videos, and will send the footage to your family, friends, and coworkers unless you pay. They demand Bitcoin, gift cards, or a wire transfer. They may even include a password you once used or a partial phone number. The message is designed to make your heart race before your brain can catch up. This is sextortion, a form of online extortion, and it is one of the most common digital threats today.

Most of these emails are mass-produced lies. The sender has not hacked your webcam. They do not have a video. They are casting a wide net, hoping a few frightened people will pay. The old password is usually from a data breach at some company that stored it years ago. Your phone number and address may come from public records, data brokers, or social media. They may spoof the sender address so the email appears to come from your own account. They may use artificial intelligence to create fake nude images from photos you posted publicly. All of it is theater meant to scare you into acting fast.

Do not pay. Do not reply. Do not click links or open attachments. Payment in Bitcoin or gift cards is nearly impossible to reverse, and paying does not make the demands stop. It marks you as someone who pays. The same criminal, or others who buy the information, may come back for more. If you respond, you confirm your email is active and give them a conversation to manipulate.

Save the evidence, but do not engage. Take screenshots of the message, the sender address, any wallet address, and any threats. Then block the sender. If the email includes a password you still use, change it immediately. If it includes a password you used long ago, change it anywhere you still use it. Enable two-factor authentication on email, banking, and social media. Run a security scan on your computer and phone. Check for unfamiliar devices or apps. If covering your webcam makes you feel safer, do it, but understand that the webcam claim in these emails is almost always a bluff.

If the criminal actually has intimate images, the fear is real, but the advice is the same. Do not pay. Paying does not erase the images and often leads to more demands. Report the extortion to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as IC3. Contact your local police. If the images involve a minor, report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. If the images are fake or AI-generated, report them to the platform where they appear and keep records. Tell someone you trust. Shame is the criminal’s most powerful tool. When you tell a spouse, friend, or family member, you take away some of that power. You are not to blame.

Sextortion also happens on dating apps and social media. A new contact may love-bomb you, then quickly push for private chats or video calls. They may ask for explicit photos or record a call without your knowledge. Once they have something, they demand money. Never send intimate images to someone you have not met in person. If you are targeted, stop all communication. Save the messages. Block the account. Report it to the platform and to IC3. If they threaten to send images to your contacts, consider telling your contacts first. A simple message such as “I am being extorted. Do not open anything from this person. I have reported it” removes much of the leverage.

If a threat includes violence or immediate danger, call 911. If money was taken, contact your bank and report the fraud. Law enforcement may not recover your money, but every report helps investigators connect cases and shut down operations.

The bottom line is simple. These criminals rely on panic, urgency, and shame. Slow down. Do not pay. Do not communicate. Save the evidence. Report it. Secure your accounts. Tell someone. That is how you take the power back.