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Scam explainer

Sextortion video call scam also called Video call blackmail, Nude video call scam, Sextortion

A new online contact makes a video call that plays an obscene clip, records your face and then demands money, often followed by fake 'police' calls.

How it works

  1. A friendly profile, usually posing as a young woman, sends a request on Facebook, Instagram or a dating app and starts chatting.
  2. You get a WhatsApp video call; an explicit clip plays while your face is screen-recorded.
  3. Within minutes you receive the edited recording and a demand for money, with threats to send it to your family or post it online.
  4. A second wave follows from people posing as police, Crime Branch, CBI or 'YouTube officials' demanding payment to 'close the case' or 'delete the video'.

Red flags

  • A stranger moves quickly from a friend request to a video call.
  • A video call where the other side shows explicit content straight away.
  • Threats to share a recording unless you pay.
  • Calls from 'police' or 'officials' offering to settle the matter for money.

What to do

  • Do not pay; payment usually leads to more demands.
  • Stop replying, but keep screenshots of the chats, numbers and payment requests.
  • Report on cybercrime.gov.in (or call 1930 if money was paid) and ask your local cyber cell for help.
  • Report the profile to the platform and the number through Chakshu on Sanchar Saathi, then block it.
  • Tighten privacy settings and hide your friends list so the blackmailer cannot see your contacts.

Step-by-step guideBlackmailed after a video call? What to do about sextortion, and how to get the clip taken down

The numbers

Sextortion is high-volume and low-value per case: roughly one in five complaints in 2025 (ThePrint). Citizen reports on Chakshu about doubled between 2024 and 2025 (PIB).

Desk coverage

Sources

Other scamsDigital arrest scamInvestment and trading scamTask and part-time job scamUPI, QR code and collect-request fraudFake customer care number scamKYC update, SIM swap and eSIM fraud