When someone threatens to share your photos
Under 18? Tell an adult you trust first: a parent, a guardian, a teacher or anyone else you trust.
Thinking about hurting yourself, or not feeling safe? Call 911 in the US and Canada, or 999 in the UK. You can also call or text 988, free, in the US and Canada. In the UK, you can call Samaritans on 116 123.
What to do
If you’re under 18, tell someone first
Tell an adult you trust before you do anything else. That adult can help you with every step on this page.
In Canada, the RCMP, the national police, tells young people: "You are not alone and it is not your fault." The RCMP also tells young people "you will not be in trouble".
No adult you can tell? You can call someone yourself. In the US, call NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, on 1-800-843-5678. In Canada, call Kids Help Phone on 1-800-668-6868. In the UK, call Childline on 0800 1111.
What the FBI says to do
- Stop all contact with the person who is threatening you.
- Don’t pay, and don’t send anything more. The FBI says that doing what the person asks doesn’t guarantee your photos stay private.
- Keep the messages, and don’t delete anything. The FBI says to keep all the details, such as usernames, email addresses and the names of apps or websites.
- Report the threat. The FBI says to report right away. The FBI also says not to be embarrassed or afraid to contact the police.
To save a message, take a screenshot of the message. The RCMP says so, and so does a US Attorney’s Office, part of the US Justice Department.
If you’re a parent
UK government guidance asks parents to stay calm and not get angry with their child. The steps above are the same for you. A US Attorney’s Office in Indiana puts the steps for parents this way:
- Keep the evidence. Take screenshots of the messages. Write down names, usernames and phone numbers.
- Report the threat. The places to report are below, by country.
- Report the account in the app or on the website.
- Don’t do what the person asks. That office says paying rarely stops the threats.
UK government guidance tells school staff never to copy, store or save an intimate photo of a child, because doing so is illegal. So ask the police before you copy or save the photo itself. Leave any photo already on your child’s phone where it is until you’ve asked. Laws differ by country, state and province.
Where to report in the US
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center: file a complaint at ic3.gov.
The FBI: call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or report online at tips.fbi.gov.
Under 18, or a parent? The FBI also names NCMEC. Call 1-800-843-5678, or use NCMEC’s CyberTipline.
The app or website: report the account there too. Apps have safety tools for reporting.
In Canada
The RCMP gives the same first steps: stop all contact, and don’t send money or anything more. The RCMP in Kelowna, British Columbia, says to block the person and not answer further messages. The RCMP also says to take screenshots of the messages and of the person’s profile, including the username.
The RCMP says to deactivate your social media account, not delete your account. The RCMP also says not to accept new friend requests, because a new request could be the same person.
To report the threat, the RCMP names Cybertip.ca, where you can stay anonymous, and your local police. Report the account in the app too. For help getting photos taken down, the RCMP names NeedHelpNow.ca.
In the UK
UK government guidance says to report sextortion to the police. Call 101, or 999 if a life is in danger.
Under 18, with no adult you trust? UK government guidance says you can report to the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Safety Centre.
Under 18, and a photo of you is already online? UK government guidance names Report Remove, a tool from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation.
If you were under 18 in the photo
The FBI names Take It Down, a free service from NCMEC. The FBI says Take It Down could help remove a photo or stop people sharing a photo. NCMEC says you can use Take It Down from anywhere in the world.
NCMEC says Take It Down works from a photo already on your device, and the photo isn’t uploaded. Don’t download or send a photo to use Take It Down. NCMEC also says you can stay anonymous.
Take It Down works only with the online services that take part. NCMEC says those services may not be able to remove everything already posted.
If you were 18 or older in the photo
NCMEC and UK government guidance both name StopNCII.org, a tool for stopping intimate photos being shared without your consent.
What Underlock does
- Underlock can’t stop anyone from sharing a photo. Saving the messages and reporting the threat come first.
- Underlock can only hold a copy. Underlock is a private vault app we make. If you import the messages you saved, Underlock asks Remove the originals from Photos? Choose Keep, so the originals stay in the Photos app.