Video Call Blackmail and Sextortion on WhatsApp
A stranger video calls, records you, and threatens to send the video to your contacts unless you pay. What to do: don't pay, preserve evidence, report, and get support.
An unknown number video calls you. The person on screen, often an attractive stranger, is flirty and persuades you to undress or act intimately. Minutes later, a message arrives: a recording of you, a list of your contacts, and a demand for money. This is sextortion, and it is a crime against you.
What to do right now
- Do not pay. Payment usually leads to more demands.
- Stop replying. Do not negotiate or argue.
- Save evidence: screenshots of the chat, the number and any payment details. See preserving evidence.
- Block and report the number in WhatsApp.
- Report to the police and the platform where you first met, if different.
- Tell someone you trust. You do not have to deal with this alone.
Getting images removed
- Adults: StopNCII.org helps stop intimate images being shared on participating platforms. In the UK, the Revenge Porn Helpline offers support.
- Under 18s: NCMEC's Take It Down and CyberTipline in the US, or CEOP in the UK. See sextortion: what to do.
You are not to blame. These scams are run by organised groups who target many people a day. Shame is their main weapon.
Reduce the risk
- Turn on Silence unknown callers.
- Do not accept video calls from people you have only just met online.
- Remember that view once and disappearing messages do not prevent recording.
For teenagers, see WhatsApp safety for teens. For more, see WhatsApp scam warning signs.
Frequently asked questions
Should I pay the blackmailer?
No. Paying usually leads to more demands and does not guarantee the video is deleted.
Will they really send the video to my contacts?
Some do; many do not once they see you will not pay. Either way, reporting and getting support is safer than paying.
I am under 18. Where can I get help?
Tell a trusted adult. NCMEC's Take It Down service can help remove images of under-18s, and you can report to the CyberTipline in the US or CEOP in the UK.
Sources
- StopNCII.org, StopNCII
- Is your explicit content out there?, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
- Revenge Porn Helpline, SWGfL (UK)
- How to block and report someone, WhatsApp Help Center
