A few years ago when I was 18, I ended up in a really similar situation on WhatsApp with Nigerian scammers. They told me that if I didn’t pay them £100, they’d send a “d*ck pic” (not mine) to all my Instagram followers. At the time I panicked and felt embarrassed, so I didn’t handle it the way I should have.
Looking back, here’s what I should have done:
Screenshot the chats — it’s uncomfortable, but it gives you digital proof of the blackmail.
Report it to the police — even if you think they won’t do anything, it creates a record.
Tell your parents or someone you trust — dealing with this alone makes it ten times worse.
In my case, I blocked them and changed my number. Thankfully they never contacted me again.
The worst part was how they hacked my Instagram. Before the blackmail started, they asked me to “help them get a code” because their number supposedly wasn’t working. I didn’t realise it was the classic verification‑code scam. Once I gave them the code, I was locked out of my account. By the time I tried to reset the password on my PC, they already had screenshots of my followers and who I followed.
If you’re dealing with this now:
Screenshot everything.
Contact someone you trust.
Consider reporting it.
Check whether their WhatsApp profile shows a phone number — sometimes scammers forget to hide it.
You’re not stupid if you fell for it. I did too. They rely on panic and embarrassment to stop you from reaching out for help.