Blackmailed after a video call? What to do about sextortion, and how to get the clip taken down

AI-generated editorial illustration by CyberShitty. Not a photograph or a document from the organisations named.

Sextortion is a crime and you are its victim. Don't pay, stop replying, save the evidence, report on cybercrime.gov.in or 1930, and use the two-hour takedown rule to get intimate content removed.

01 / How the scam works

It usually starts with a friendly stranger on Facebook, Instagram or a dating app. Then comes a video call. An explicit clip plays on the other side while your face is recorded. Within minutes you get the recording, sometimes edited or morphed, and a demand for money. The threat is to send it to your family and contacts or put it online.

If you don't pay straight away, a second wave follows. In one Delhi case reported by The Tribune in October 2025, a man got a Facebook Messenger video call from an unknown woman's account. Next came a call from someone claiming to be a cyber police officer, who said an obscene video would go up on YouTube. That caller passed him to a supposed YouTube employee, who asked for money to remove it. He paid ₹39,000 in three UPI transfers before he realised it was a con.

The Home Ministry has warned that criminals pose as state police, the CBI and other agencies to blackmail and extort people. Real police do not settle a case over the phone for money.

02 / Why paying makes it worse

Paying does not buy deletion. It shows the gang that you will pay. Delhi Police sources told ThePrint that sextortion goes on for days, from one fake number after another, until the target pays. The same sources said the videos are never actually shared online in most cases. That is not a promise, but the threat is mainly a way to get money.

The volume is high. The Department of Telecommunications told the Rajya Sabha that sextortion reports on its Chakshu facility rose from 10,901 in 2024 to 21,189 in 2025.

03 / What to do right now

• Do not pay, even a small "final" amount.
• Stop replying. Don't argue, plead or negotiate.
• Save the evidence before you block. Take screenshots of the profile, chats, threats, phone numbers, UPI IDs and any payment receipts. The cybercrime portal's FAQ lists chat transcripts, screenshots of the suspect's number, images, videos and online payment receipts as useful evidence.
• Then report and block the account inside the app (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook or the dating app).
• Don't delete your own chats or call logs.

04 / Report it: cybercrime.gov.in, 1930 and Chakshu

• If you have paid anything: call 1930 at once, then file under Financial Fraud on cybercrime.gov.in. Have the UPI IDs, transaction IDs and times ready.
• If you haven't paid: file on the same portal. It has a Women/Children Related Crime section for sexually explicit content and child sexual abuse material, and an Other Cyber Crime section that covers online and social media crimes. Use "Report and Track" so police can contact you and you get a complaint number by SMS and email. The FAQ says complaints in the women/child section cannot be withdrawn.
• Report the number on Chakshu on Sancharsaathi.gov.in. Sextortion is listed as an example of suspected fraud communication by call, SMS or WhatsApp. Report within 30 days for action. Chakshu is for attempts only: if you lost money, it directs you to 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.

05 / Get intimate content taken down

Report the post or account to the platform first, through its report button or its grievance officer. You can also reach platforms through the portal's Report Abuse to Social Media link.

The law is on your side. Rule 3(2)(b) of the IT Rules, 2021 covers content that shows a person in full or partial nudity or a sexual act, or impersonates them, including artificially morphed images. When the person, or someone acting for them, complains, the platform must take all reasonable and practicable steps to remove it. An amendment in force since 20 February 2026 cut that deadline from 24 hours to two hours. MeitY's November 2025 standard operating procedure still says 24 hours, but the amended rule now applies. If the platform ignores you or you are unhappy with its decision, you can appeal at gac.gov.in.

StopNCII.org is a free tool. It makes a digital fingerprint (a hash) of an image or video on your own device, and participating platforms use it to find and remove copies. The file itself is not uploaded. You must be the person in the image, aged 18 or over both when it was taken and now, and you must still have a copy of the file. It works only on the platforms listed as its partners. Keep your case number and PIN safe, because they cannot be recovered.

06 / If a child is involved, and the law

If the victim is under 18, report in the Women/Children Related Crime section of cybercrime.gov.in. The portal notes that Section 67B of the IT Act punishes publishing or sending material that shows children in sexually explicit acts. For help and protection, call 1098, the free 24x7 Child Helpline, which is linked to the 112 emergency number. StopNCII is only for adults.

Women can also go to their nearest One Stop Centre. MeitY's guidance says these centres can help you file on the portal and arrange legal and psychological counselling. The guidance also names the IT Act, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 as the laws that apply. This guide is not legal advice. For your own case, talk to the police cyber cell or a lawyer.

07 / Look after yourself, and your checklist

You did not commit a crime; someone committed one against you. Shame is what these gangs rely on. If you feel overwhelmed, call Tele-MANAS on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416. It is the government's free 24x7 mental health helpline and works in several languages. If you think someone is in immediate danger, call 112.

• Don't pay, and stop replying.
• Screenshot chats, numbers, UPI IDs and receipts.
• Report and block the account in the app.
• If you paid, call 1930.
• File on cybercrime.gov.in and keep the complaint number.
• Report the number on Chakshu within 30 days.
• Ask the platform to take the content down (it has two hours) and consider StopNCII.
• If the victim is a child, call 1098.
• Talk to someone you trust, or call 14416.