GHOSTSextortion: what to do in the first hour
Someone is threatening to share intimate images unless you pay. Here's what helps, in order, and what makes it worse.
If you or your child is being threatened right now, start here. This isn't your fault, and you aren't the first. Sextortion scams run from scripts and target thousands of people, most of them teens. What you do in the next hour matters more than what already happened.
1. Don't pay
Paying almost never ends it. The FBI's advice is consistent: payment usually leads to more demands, not deleted images. The person on the other end is often running dozens of victims at once and will move on faster when there's no money coming.
2. Stop replying, but don't delete anything yet
Stop responding to the account. Before you block it or delete the conversation, save the evidence:
- Screenshots of the messages and the threats
- The account's username and profile link
- Any payment handles or links they sent
- Dates and times
Then block and report the account on the platform where it happened.
3. Report it
- If the person in the images is under 18: report to NCMEC's CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.
- Use Take It Down (takeitdown.ncmec.org) to stop images of anyone under 18 from spreading on participating platforms. It works from a fingerprint made on your own device, so the images never leave it.
- For adults, StopNCII.org does the same thing.
- You can also report to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
4. Tell someone you trust
Scammers count on shame to keep people quiet. If you're a parent, the most important thing you can say is that your kid isn't in trouble. If anyone is overwhelmed, call or text 988, any time.
Where Ghost helps
Ghost's Get help now flow walks you through these steps in order, files the platform reports for you, tracks the deadlines, and keeps a clean record you can hand to a school, a lawyer or the police. It's free on every plan.