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You're going to be okay.
Here's what to do.

This happens to thousands of people every week. You're not in trouble, you're not alone, and this is fixable. We'll walk you through it.

What should I do right now? → Are they bluffing?
A friend just told you? → | Ready to tell a friend? → | Post before they do →
A friend just told you they're being sextorted?

That took real courage. Here's how to help them right now:

1. Say this: "This is not your fault. You're not in trouble. I'm going to help you figure this out."

2. Don't say: "Why did you send that?" or "That was dumb." They already know. The shame is what keeps them trapped.

3. Go through this site together. Use the action plan tool above. Help them screenshot evidence and report on the platform. Being the calm person next to them makes a massive difference.

4. Help them tell an adult when they're ready. Don't force it, but gently push. A parent, older sibling, or school counselor can take actions you can't. If they can't say it, offer to be there when they do — or to say it for them.

5. Check in tomorrow. And the day after. The crisis fades fast but the shame sticks. A simple "hey, you good?" text means more than you think.

Word-for-word scripts for supporting a friend →

Copy a text. Send it. That's it.

You don't have to find the words. Pick whichever feels right — tap to copy, paste into your messages.

If you can barely say anything
Hey, something happened online and I'm freaking out a little. Can I talk to you?
If you can say a little more
Hey I need to tell you something. Someone online is threatening me and I don't know what to do. Can you call me or come over?
If you can be direct
I got sextorted. Someone's threatening to share pictures of me unless I pay them. I'm scared and I need help figuring out what to do. There's a site called sextortionrescue.org that has steps.
If you can't say it at all — just send the link
Can you look at this? sextortionrescue.org — that's what's happening to me right now.

Whoever you send this to — they're not going to think less of you. 1 in 5 teens has dealt with this. You're telling them because you trust them. That's strength, not weakness.

Not ready to tell anyone in your life?

You can write to us. We're not a crisis hotline and we can't investigate your case — but we're a real person who's read every message, won't judge you, and will point you to the right next step. No personal info required. Just tell us what's happening.

✉ help@sextortionrescue.org

Post before they do.

If your followers already know, the scammer has nothing. Posting first flips the power. Copy, paste, post — the threat becomes meaningless.

Story / short post — get ahead of it
Heads up — if you get a weird message or link about me from a random account, block and ignore it. Someone online is trying to blackmail me. I'm handling it. Just didn't want anyone to be caught off guard. ❤️
Longer post — own the narrative
I'm sharing this because I'd rather you hear it from me. I was targeted by an online scammer who's threatening to share private images of me unless I pay them. This is called sextortion and it happens to thousands of people every week — 1 in 5 teens have dealt with it. I'm not ashamed. I didn't do anything wrong. The person committing a crime is the one threatening me, not me. If you receive anything from a random account about me, please block them, don't open it, and don't share it. If you already saw something — please delete it. If this ever happens to you: sextortionrescue.org
If something was already shared
Some of you may have received something about me from a random account. I was the target of a crime called sextortion — someone tried to blackmail me online. If you received or saw anything, please delete it and report the account that sent it. I'm okay and I'm handling it. Appreciate anyone who has my back. 🙏
Warn your friends — PSA style
PSA: There's a scam going around where someone pretends to be interested in you, gets you to share pics, then threatens to send them to your followers unless you pay. It's called sextortion and it's happening to a LOT of people our age. If it happens to you: don't pay, screenshot everything, block them, and go to sextortionrescue.org. It's not your fault and they almost never follow through.

You don't have to post anything if you're not ready. But if you do — it's the single most powerful thing you can do. It kills the threat, warns your friends, and shows that you're not ashamed. Because you have nothing to be ashamed of.

More templates for every situation →

Tell us what's happening

Answer a few questions. We'll build you a personalized action plan.

They're almost certainly bluffing.

Here's what the data actually shows.

97%
of scammers never follow through once you stop responding
<24h
average time scammers spend on a target before moving on
0
the amount paying reduces your risk — paying increases it
Why they almost never send it: Sending your images gains them nothing and creates evidence law enforcement can use to find them. Their entire business model depends on keeping you scared. The moment you stop responding, you become unprofitable and they move on. FBI and NCMEC data consistently show that victims who stop engaging see threats disappear within hours.
If they already sent something: It's still going to be okay. Platforms remove non-consensual intimate content fast — often within hours. If you're under 18, NCMEC's Take It Down tool can prevent re-uploads across major platforms.

There is nothing wrong with your body.

A lot of the fear right now comes from someone seeing you. Let's take that power away — with actual data.

If you're between 14 and 17, your body is literally still developing. That's not a flaw — that's biology. The chart below shows the medical data: growth doesn't finish until your late teens or early twenties, and the normal range at any age is huge.

But here's the bigger point: even if you were fully grown, there would be nothing to be ashamed of. Every body is different. The scammer isn't threatening you because something is wrong with you — they're threatening you because shame is how they make money. The moment you stop feeling ashamed, they lose all their power.

5.2"
Adult average
4.0–6.3"
Normal adult range
18–21
Growth ends around
Average Normal range (5th–95th %ile)
Growth chart: average rises from about 2.5 inches at age 10 to 5.2 inches at age 18, with wide normal variation at every age.

The shaded area is the normal range. At age 14, that runs from about 2.9" to 5.1" — a massive spread, all completely normal. If you're at the lower end, it just means you started puberty later. You'll likely catch up by 17 or 18. The images they have are just a body. Your body. There is nothing weird about it, and nothing that anyone who actually matters in your life would judge you for.

Sources: Veale et al. 2015 (BJU International, n=15,521); Tomova et al. 2010; Chongqing growth study (PMC6219296); Soydan et al. 2022. Individual variation is significant — puberty timing alone can shift development by 2+ years.

🚨 Watch out for paid "recovery" services

If you search for sextortion help, you'll find companies charging hundreds or thousands of dollars to "investigate" your blackmailer or "remove" your content. The FBI and ICAC Task Force warn that most of these are scams — some are run by the same criminal networks that sextorted you.

Legitimate help is free. Law enforcement, NCMEC, platform safety teams, and sites like this one cost you nothing. If someone asks for money to help you with sextortion, that is a red flag.

The stuff you're actually wondering

Straight answers to the questions everyone in this situation asks — usually at 2am.

Will they actually leak my photos?
Almost certainly not — and here's why that's true, not just comforting.
Read →
I already paid them. What now?
Stop the payments, try to claw the money back, and cut the line — step by step.
Read →
Am I going to get in trouble?
No. You're the victim, and the whole system is built around that.
Read →
Is there a sextortion hotline?
Three, actually — one to talk, one to report, one to get images removed.
Read →
How long until they give up?
The real timeline, hour by hour and week by week.
Read →
I messaged my sextortionist a year later — he didn't have the pics
Founder story. He offered to pay for them back. The scammer couldn't find a single one.
Read →
All articles →

More tools when you're ready

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What you're afraid of vs. what's actually true

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Step-by-step. Select your platform.

Build your report in 2 minutes

Fill in what you can. We'll generate a structured summary you can copy into NCMEC, FBI IC3, a police report, or just hand to a parent.

People and tools that can help

Crisis support and image removal first. Reporting when you're ready. All free.