Should I Block Them or Keep Stalling? What to Do Mid-Conversation
If they're messaging you right now, you don't need theory — you need an order of operations. Here it is, then the block-vs-stall question.
1. Stop sending anything new. No more images, no payments, no begging — nothing they can use. 2. Screenshot everything — the profile, the threats, the demands (exactly what to capture). 3. Then decide: block now, or stall briefly. Evidence comes before blocking, because blocked conversations sometimes vanish.
Blocking: right for most people, most of the time
Once your screenshots are saved, blocking is clean and correct. Expect two things so they don't scare you: a burst of escalating threats through any channel still open, and possibly a new account or two trying to reach you over the next days. That's not the situation getting worse — that's the script running out. Block the alts too, lock your accounts down (platform-by-platform guide), and let the clock run. It runs out fast.
Stalling: a tool, not a strategy
Stalling only makes sense if you need a few hours to get set — screenshots, locking accounts, posting a preemption message, or getting a friend or parent in your corner before going dark. Lines that work because they're boring and unverifiable:
- "My parents took my phone, I can only get on for a few minutes at school."
- "The card got declined, I have to wait until tomorrow to try again."
- "I get paid Friday."
Notice these all sound like a payment is still possible — that's what keeps them calm. What you must not do while stalling: negotiate a price, promise a specific payment, send "proof" of anything, or answer questions about who you've told. You're not in a conversation; you're running out a timer. More ready-made lines are on the scripts page.
Never, regardless of block or stall
- Never pay. Paying marks you as a payer and escalates everything. Already did? This is recoverable.
- Never send more images — including "proof" images, cropped images, anything.
- Never move to their platform. "Add me on Telegram / WhatsApp" is a control move: fewer moderation tools, disappearing messages, harder evidence. Declining is safe; they need you more than you need them.
- Never click their links — payment links, "verification" links, any of it.
There's no message that makes them feel shame and no argument that makes them stop — you're talking to a script, not a person who's listening. The only inputs their system registers are "might pay" and "won't pay." Silence is how you send the second one. (Proof that it's a script: this experiment.)