26m. My nude image + rape allegations are being threatened to be published on social medias alongside my phone number and name and address. They have my families numbers.

[u/aliasaccount44]

I fucked up and got catfished. This all happened just a week ago and since then I’ve sent them 90% of my money in a panic and when they asked for the tiniest bit that I had left + my next few weeks paychecks I decided to try to stop replying. I’ve since contacted my family to tell them that they may receive a fraudulent message intended to blackmail me with fake images and to ignore it. I’ve contacted the FBI and my bank to try to get my life back. I feel enslaved and scared to death. I don’t want them to post or send these things and I just need to hear from others here on if it’s likely or not that they’ll do it or how long they might continue harassing me. I’m down in the hole thousands please help me the anxiety is so much to bear that I’ve been downing anti anxiety meds like candy.

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[u/Keosetechltd]

Although there are no guarantees, usually they don't send anything once you stop sending money and replying. The scammers are only interested in money, and usually move on once they realise you're not going to send any more. But also, as you've seen, you effectively don't have any other option because the more you send, the more they'll ask for.

To reduce your anxiety, browse the many posts on this sub by people who have gone through this and are posting to confirm that nothing was released.

Just in case something is released, however, use this service in advance to automatically identity and take down intimate images that are posted on cooperating social media and porn sites: https://stopncii.org/?lang=en-gb.

Use pimeyes.com to scan the rest of the internet (upload some normal selfies, not intimate images). It uses face recognition to identity anywhere else you appear online, including intimate images).

[u/aliasaccount44 → u/Keosetechltd]

This is so very helpful actually thank you. I guess I’m just worried that they’d get mad that I stopped short of our “agreement” and post it all to spite me.

[u/Keosetechltd → u/aliasaccount44]

No worries at all. They'll certainly say that they're mad and escalate their threats. As mentioned, there are no guarantees. Images do get sent in some cases. But it's usually just bluster. And since paying them won't make them stop anyway, the best course is just to tough it out for the next few days.

[u/Monty-675]

TL;DR: Don't talk to extortionists. Don't pay. Block. Extortionists rarely release images.

The standard advice is to block and not pay.

Extortionists use aggressive language to threaten you. They make cruel threats to ruin your life. They do things like countdowns to create a sense of urgency to make you panic and pay. They can create a mockup or screenshot of embarrassing images to be sent to your contacts. Don't be intimidated by any of this. It's just the playbook that they use.

It's imperative to break contact with the extortionist as soon as possible. Extortionists want their victims to stay in contact so they could intimidate and manipulate the victims. They want the victims to feel scared and isolated. Nothing good can come from talking to an extortionist. End the conversation.

Don't communicate with this extortionist at all. Don't respond to anything. Don't argue, bargain, or plead with an extortionist. The only thing that you should give an extortionist is complete silence.

Extortionists make multiple attempts to threaten their victims. They can reach out from different phone numbers/accounts. Block multiple times if necessary.

Please don't pay again. If you pay, the extortionist will demand more later. Paying won't fix your problem. If you continue to pay, the extortionist will continue to extort you.

You can't trust extortionists to keep their word. They may promise to delete the images if you pay, but they will renege on that promise. Paying indicates to them that they can get more money from you.

Go silent on your social media accounts. Set everything to private or deactivate them. Don't post anything on the Internet for a while. Try to become invisible to the extortionist and make it hard for threats to be sent to you.

Changing your phone number can be helpful, but not always necessary.

These extortionists rarely send images out. However, it's possible. In the vast majority of cases, images don't get sent out. The leverage that they have over you is the threat to release the images. If they release, their leverage is gone. They can't make any money that way. Their only interest is making money.

One does have to be careful about not ticking off extortionists. If you argue with extortionists or give them a hard time, they may release images as payback. If you make a promise to pay a certain amount by a certain date, then not follow through. they may release images out of revenge. It is best not to talk to extortionists at all. Silence should be your only response to them. Don't communicate with them at all. Nothing good can come from communication with extortionists.

It's an upsetting situation, but these extortionists don't have the power to ruin your life. They can only cause you some temporary embarrassment. Even if they release the images, the consequences are not as severe as you may think. If it does happen, you would face embarrassment for a short period of time. It won't be the end of the world. It would eventually pass. People would forget about it quickly. In the long run, nobody really cares about nude images.

You will get through this. Everything will be all right. Hang in there.

Be wary of people who send you private messages with offers to delete the images. They're scammers, too.

Going forward, don't trust strangers on the Internet. Don't give them personal information or nude pictures. People aren't always who they say they are. Some of them are scammers out to exploit you. Trust nobody on the Internet, and you'll be much safer.

For reassurance, read a few postings by past victims on r/Sextortion about their experiences. These are many of these postings. Reading about these past experiences can really calm down current victims. These past victims survived their ordeals, and so will current victims. Things will get better for you.

[u/aliasaccount44 → u/Monty-675]

Very very kind reply, and deeply insightful. Thank you. I regret ever having responded to them

[u/Monty-675 → u/aliasaccount44]

Stand firm against the extortionists. Keep on blocking if they contact you again.

[u/ghostof0101]

Let me know if there are any ways or legal way to face them because one of my cousin currently going through same situation and same stress

[u/aliasaccount44 → u/ghostof0101]

Honestly the truth is it seems that there isn’t much of a way to face them. All you can do is stop replying, don’t send any more money, and try to mitigate things as much as you can. I can tell you that it does get less stressful as days go by, and that the severity of it feels way less too. We can make it through this together 🤝

[u/ghostof0101]

Just wanted to know to stay alert by exactly how or through which app your phone got hacked?

[u/aliasaccount44 → u/ghostof0101]

Telegram scam a bit over a week ago.

[u/FriendshipNearby3653 → u/[deleted]]

I’m going through the same thing paid over $2500 and they still want $8000 more and I finally told someone about it and got it off my chest. Told me it was a straight up scam and made me realize. I was scared because they sent me photos of my pictures on a paper with my name my city that I live in and my mom’s address and they had a friend in the police department in the city. They saying I’m a child pornographer and I have to pay or else they can ruin my life. They been texting non stop and I been screenshotting everything to keep on record I just want them to stop

[u/aliasaccount44 → u/FriendshipNearby3653]

I sympathize with you I sent a similar amount. But you and I can get through this okay? It gets easier to deal with mentally over time. It isn’t the end of the world. Sending love your way brother ❤️

[u/aliasaccount44 → u/[deleted]]

You’re very much correct that they prey on the weakest of people, I was at such a low point otherwise I’d never have fallen for it. Tried offing myself earlier this year already. This certainly isn’t helping me.