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uk Sexual violence & highly sensitive situations

What to do if…
someone claims they are underage after sending explicit images and now demands money or favours

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Stop replying, do not pay, and do not agree to any favour. Keep the account and conversation available if you safely can, but do not copy, forward, download, or separately save any explicit images.

Do not do these things

  • Do not send money, gift cards, crypto, sexual images, personal documents, or any favour to make the threat stop.
  • Do not keep arguing about their age or try to settle it privately in the chat.
  • Do not delete the whole account or conversation in a panic if you may need platform, bank, or police help.
  • Do not download, copy, forward, re-upload, or show explicit images to anyone while asking for opinions.
  • Do not send the explicit images to yourself on another device, cloud account, email, or messaging app.
  • Do not give them more information about your address, workplace, family, friends, school, accounts, or passwords.
  • Do not let the demand’s deadline force you into a rushed decision.

What to do now

  1. Stop contact now. Do not answer any more demands, threats, or questions.
  2. Keep the basic evidence without re-sharing images. Save or note the username, profile link, chat handle, dates, threats, payment demands, wallet details, bank details, gift-card requests, and any URLs. Avoid screenshotting, copying, forwarding, or separately saving explicit images.
  3. Report the account inside the app or website where this happened. Use the platform’s route for blackmail, sextortion, sexual coercion, image-based abuse, or threats.
  4. Block or mute the account after you have the basic details you need. If blocking would make you lose the conversation, first use the platform’s reporting route and keep only account details, threat text, URLs, and payment demands where possible.
  5. Lock down the accounts they can see. Change the password for the account involved and your email, turn on two-factor authentication, and hide your phone number, friend list, follower list, tagged posts, and public contact details.
  6. If you paid or gave payment details, contact your bank, card provider, or payment service now. Say you were pressured by an online blackmail or scam demand, and ask what they can do to stop further payments and protect the account.
  7. If threats continue, you feel at risk, or you want formal help, contact your local police force on 101 or through its online reporting route. If someone is in immediate danger or the situation could become violent very soon, call 999.
  8. If an intimate image of you may be shared and you were 18 or over in the image, consider StopNCII. It can create a digital fingerprint of your image on your device so participating platforms can detect matching copies.
  9. If you are under 18, or the image is of you when you were under 18, use Childline’s Report Remove and consider contacting CEOP. You do not have to manage this alone.
  10. Tell one steady person today. You can say: “Someone is blackmailing me online after explicit messages. I need help staying calm and not replying.”

What can wait

You do not need to work out right now whether the person is telling the truth about their age. You do not need to decide today whether to make a full formal report. You do not need to explain the whole story perfectly before asking for help. You do not need to negotiate, prove yourself, or meet their deadline.

Important reassurance

This kind of threat is designed to create panic, shame, and urgency. Freezing, spiralling, or wanting to make it disappear fast is a normal reaction. Slowing the situation down and stopping the private chat is safer than trying to fix it alone with the person making demands.

Scope note

These are first steps only. Later decisions about reporting, legal risk, image removal, money recovery, account security, or emotional support may need specialist help.

Important note

This is general information, not legal, financial, medical, therapeutic, or other professional advice. In a situation involving possible sexual images of someone under 18, avoid copying, forwarding, downloading, or re-saving explicit images, and use platform, police, bank, or specialist support routes as needed.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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