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UK
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USA
What to do if…
someone asks you to send a photo of your ID during a sexual conversation
Short answer
Pause the chat. Do not send the other person a photo of your ID or a selfie holding your ID. Sending one can expose personal information and create opportunities for misuse or pressure.
Do not do these things
- Don’t send a driver’s license, passport, ID card, or selfie holding an ID to the other person.
- Don’t use an age-check link or upload page sent by the other person.
- Don’t continue sexual chatting if you are unsure whether the other person is an adult.
- Don’t send money, more images, or more personal information in response to threats. Sending more rarely stops blackmail.
- Don’t keep arguing while you feel pressured.
- Don’t delete your profile or messages in a panic if you may want to report what happened.
What to do now
- Stop replying for the moment. Do not continue sexual chatting while you feel pressured or while you are unsure about the other person’s age or identity.
- If the platform itself requires age verification, open its official process independently from the platform’s own settings or help page. Do not use a link sent by the other person.
- If the requests continue, block the account and use the platform’s report option.
- If you already sent an ID photo, stop sending more information. Check the official identity-theft guidance in the resources below for next steps if you are worried your information may be misused.
- If there are threats, blackmail, or pressure to send sexual images, you can save a few screenshots showing the username, request, and threats if it feels safe to do so. Then stop. You do not need to build a case file.
- If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For exploitation or sextortion, you can also make an FBI report online, contact a local FBI field office, or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
- If you are under 18, or suspect that a child is being sexually exploited, you can make a report to NCMEC’s CyberTipline. If you are under 18, consider asking a trusted adult to help you.
- If a nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit image or video of you was taken before you were 18 and is already on your device, NCMEC’s Take It Down service may help limit sharing. Do not download, send, or share an image in order to use the service.
- If an intimate image of an adult has been shared or threatened without consent, the FTC image-based abuse resource below explains platform-removal steps and further options.
What can wait
- You do not need to decide immediately whether to make a police report unless you are in immediate danger.
- You do not need to work out whether the person is real before you block the account.
- You do not need to explain or justify your decision.
- You do not need to read every message again tonight.
Important reassurance
You are allowed to stop the chat. Pressure to send identity documents is a reason to pause, not a reason to comply. If you already sent something, you still have options and you do not have to handle the situation alone.
Scope note
These are first steps only. Later decisions about identity protection, reporting, or image removal may need support from a trusted adult or a specialist service.
Important note
This is general information, not legal, medical, financial, therapeutic, or other professional advice. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Additional Resources
- Fbi — Financially motivated sextortion
- Fbi — Electronic Tip Form
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children — Cybertipline
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children — Sextortion
- Take It Down — Ncmec
- Consumer Advice — Image-Based Abuse: What To Know and Do
- Consumer Advice — What To Know About Identity Theft
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.