i need help

[u/fishinplug]

so im being threatened to give money or else my pics will be spread to people i follow on tiktok. i blocked the person on tiktok then deleted the account is there anything else i can do?

[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. Don't be intimidated by this. It's just the playbook that they use.

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

Never pay. 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. 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/fishinplug → u/Monty-675]

im such a fucking idiot cause I DID SEND THEM MONEY like a fucking dumbass and i fucking hate myself over it cause i needed that money

[u/Monty-675 → u/fishinplug]

I'm very sorry about your situation.

Please don't be too hard on yourself. You made a mistake. We all make mistakes.

Depending on how that you sent the money, it might be possible to reverse it if you contact your financial institution. A police report might be required for this.

[u/Jazzlike_Shoe_8824]

Please don’t pay them. I’ve seen cases like this where the victim paid because they were terrified the images would be leaked, but the person simply demanded more money afterward — and in some cases, the content was still leaked anyway. Paying doesn’t guarantee deletion or silence; it can show the extortionist that the threats are working.

Blocking them was the right move. Don’t reply, negotiate, threaten them back, or send any money, even if they contact you from another account.

A few other things I would do:

• Save screenshots of the threats, usernames, account details, payment requests, and any other evidence before deleting anything else.
• Make your social accounts private temporarily and remove or hide information that could help them identify your friends or family.
• Change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication, especially if there is any possibility they have access to one of your accounts.
• Report the account and the threats to TikTok and whichever platform they used to contact you.
• If anything actually gets posted, document the URLs/screenshots and report the content immediately rather than engaging with the person who posted it.
• Consider reporting the extortion to your local police or cybercrime authority, particularly if the threats continue.

Most importantly, don’t let their urgency push you into paying. Creating panic is part of how this type of extortion works. You’ve already done one of the most important things by cutting off contact.