Who: The FBI's IC3 handles extortion and blackmail reported online.
When to use: Use when someone threatened to release info or harm you unless you paid.
What to prepare:
- Messages or emails
- How they contacted you
- What they demanded
Go to IC3~10 min
Category: Online & communication
Extortion & blackmail scams
Important
Do not pay. Paying does not make threats go away and often leads to more demands. Scammers rarely have the material they claim.
How it often plays out
Mike opens his email and freezes. A stranger claims to have footage of him visiting adult sites and says they will send it to his family, friends, and colleagues unless he pays $1,000 in Bitcoin within 48 hours. They have included an old password he used years ago, which makes the threat feel real. Mike has never done what they describe—scammers often use leaked passwords from old data breaches just to create fear. He is tempted to pay to make it go away. But people who pay usually get more demands, not silence. The scammer has no real leverage; they are counting on shame and panic to get money. The right move is not to pay and to report it.
How to spot it
Common red flags: pressure to act immediately, requests for payment by gift card or wire, offers that seem too good to be true, or unsolicited requests for your personal or financial details.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Save all messages, emails, or screenshots; do not delete evidence.
- Report to the FBI IC3 and the FTC.
- Block the contact.
Don't
- Pay. Paying does not guarantee they will stop and can make you a repeat target.
- Reply or engage with the scammer.
- Assume they actually have compromising material.
Summary & what to do
Scammers threaten to expose personal information, photos, or data unless you pay. Do not pay—report to the FBI and FTC. Paying often leads to more demands.
What to do right now
- Do not pay. Paying does not guarantee they will stop and can make you a repeat target.
- Save all messages, emails, or screenshots. Do not delete evidence.
- Report to the FBI IC3 and the FTC. Block the contact.
Where to report
Who: The FTC collects reports of extortion and threats.
When to use: Use to report the scam.
What to prepare:
- What happened
- Contact method
FTC ReportFraud~5 min
Frequently asked questions
- They have my password. Does that mean they have my data?
- Not necessarily. They often use passwords from old data breaches to scare you. Change the password everywhere you use it and enable two-factor authentication. Do not pay.
- What if I already paid?
- Stop paying. Report to the FBI IC3 and FTC. Block the contact. You may be able to dispute the payment with your bank or card issuer depending on how you paid.