Setting the scene
Bargaining with online threats: online pressure lesson
Real moments. A few choices. Words that work.
Pause contact, do not send any money, and save screenshots of the messages and account details if it is safe to do so.
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You are sitting in your dorm room when you receive a message from an account you do not recognize. They have an intimate photo of you and are demanding money, threatening to send it to your friends if you do not pay them immediately.
Paying someone who is threatening to share your intimate images is a guaranteed way to make them delete the photo and stop contacting you.
Myth or fact?
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- Fact
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Myth
If someone threatens to share an intimate image, do not send money or more photos. Giving in to demands does not guarantee they will delete the image. Instead, pause contact and do not reply. If you can do so safely, save screenshots of the threats, account details, and links. You can then use platform reporting tools to flag the account. Remember, sharing an image in the past never gives someone the right to threaten or exploit you.
Your next step
Pause contact, do not send any money, and save screenshots of the messages and account details if it is safe to do so.
Words you can use
“Someone is threatening to share my image. I need help with the next step.”
Sources: Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, Cyber Civil Rights Initiative