Sextortion
Sextortion is a form of online sexual exploitation where someone threatens to share a person’s nude, semi-nude, or sexually explicit images or videos unless they meet certain demands.
It’s a criminal act and a form of blackmail/extortion, often involving coercion, manipulation, or threats - even if the images were originally shared willingly.
Sections
Consider
The term “sextortion” is a neologism that combines the words “sex” and “extortion.” The term was first coined and used by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) in 2009. They introduced it to describe a form of corruption in which individuals in positions of power—such as officials, educators, or employers—demand sexual favors in exchange for something within their control.
While the term originated in the context of institutional power abuse, today “sextortion” has evolved to encompass a broader range of exploitative online behaviors, especially those targeting youth. This chapter aims to help parents, caregivers, educators, and others understand the who, what, where, when, how, and why behind the world’s largest multinational blackmail scheme—commonly referred to as sextortion.
Sextortion Typology
Youth - regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and their parents must become more aware of the pretexts, tactics, and strategies used in online sextortion.
Sexting and sextortion were already topics of concern in our student presentations as early as 2012, as highlighted in this article: 🔗 Oak Bay News – Sexting puts youth at risk, Victoria bullying expert
At that time, some individuals within the internet safety community dismissed our concerns as “fear-mongering.” How times have changed.
From our experience, sextortion involving youth and teens typically falls into two main categories
Nudes are shared within the context of an intimate relationship and are later weaponized - either after a breakup as revenge, during the relationship as a tool for control, or as a threat to prevent a partner from leaving.
Sextortion by someone the youth knows, loves, or trusts
This is typically a stranger met online - someone we refer to as a capper, short for capturer. While cappers can be individuals within Canada or the U.S., it is our experience that many are linked to organized online crime groups operating out of regions such as Russia, India, the Philippines, Somalia, Nigeria, or the Ivory Coast.
Sextortion by someone the youth does not know
Four Common Sextortion Coercion Typologies
What the extortionist is looking to get out of their threats has typically fallen into four categories.
Coercion for Images
The extortioner demands additional intimate images in exchange for not releasing previously obtained photos.
Motivations:
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Gratification
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Power
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linked to Coercion for Value
Coercion for Value
Sometimes called financial sextortion, but this can involve more than just money. The extorter demands something valuable in exchange for keeping the images private.
Common Demands:
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Cryptocurrency (e.g., Bitcoin)
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In-game items
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Money transfer apps (e.g., CashApp, Venmo)
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Gift cards
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More images for trades or barter
Coercion for Other Demands
The extorter exerts control by demanding something unrelated to money or images, typically asserting more social or behavioural benefits rather than economic ones
Examples:
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Reputation smearing avoidance
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Control within a romantic or sexual relationship
Coercion for Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism (Newly emerging)
Some cappers are now exploiting youth as part of extremist agendas.
Example:
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Gender-driven violence: using sextortion to further ideologies based on misogyny or hatred of gender/sexual minorities, pressuring victims to produce more extreme content 🔗 RCMP – Violent Online Groups Targeting Youth (2024)
How Sextortion Scammers Connect with Youth
Often, the capper will initiate contact with a youth utilizing social media platforms that are popular with teens such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Wizz, Emerald Chat, and even gaming sites. Wherever youth are online, there will be those who will want to target them for online predation and exploitation. Criminal organizations are also employing tactics like sending a large number of follow requests to targets, such as high schools, sports teams, and youth groups, in an attempt to create the illusion of a large number of mutual connections with the intended victim. Once contact is initiated one, or a combination of these three strategies, is often utilized:
Grooming
Baiting/Grooming – here, the capper will connect with the teen, often pretending to be the opposite gender of the intended target. They use a curated fake account (also known as a “Sock Puppet”) that is peppered with screen-scraped pictures as the bait. Once they connect with the teen, usually via a direct message, they will escalate their interaction sexually to the point where they will ask their target to move to a more “private” communication platform such as Google Hangouts, Instagram private messaging, or Snapchat messages. Once they have moved the teen to a more private communication platform, they will begin to exchange sexualized language, which then escalates to nude pictures or live video of sexual acts being shared. Unknown to the teen, everything being shared (text, pictures, and video), is being covertly recorded without their knowledge and then used for the purpose of extortion.
Direct Threat
Direct Threat – the capper will forward screen captures of a teen’s friends, followers, or a school’s Facebook or Instagram account, and threaten to send a copy of their recording(s) as a pressure and manipulation tactic. This increases the likelihood of compliance by stating that if the targeted teen doesn’t pay the ransom, or send more nudes, then the nudes the capper does possess will be sent to all their friends (usually around the $500.00 mark), followers, or their school’s public social media account. It has been our experience that although this type of threat is common, it is often not carried out. However, we also know of some rare cases where this threat has been carried out, especially on Snapchat. We have helped one teen, and their family, where this was the case. As a part of the pressure campaign to gain compliance from the youth, it is not uncommon that the capper will often warn their target that disclosing what’s happening will lead to arrest, as sharing such images is deemed illegal and categorized as child pornography. It’s crucial to reassure young individuals that their actions are NOT unlawful and that they WILL NOT face arrest.
Implied Threat
Implied Threat – here, the Capper will connect with the teen on a social media platform where they will send their target a direct message saying that they have seen “nudes” of the teen on a specific site. They will then attach a phishing link that directs the teen to see where their nudes have been posted, like Snapchat.
Once the student clicks the link, it will take them to a fake Snapchat sign-in page, or any other social media account, where the teen will often enter their username and password which is now captured by the Capper. The Capper, now having this information, will sign into the teen’s Snapchat account, take it over, lock the teen out, and hold the account hostage unless the teen sends them money or nudes.
Email Sextortion Scams
A subcategory of sextortion used by cappers involves mass phishing emails—like the infamous “Pegasus Scam Email.” In this scam:
The offender sends out templated emails claiming to have gained remote access to the recipient’s webcam and microphone while they were visiting adult sites.
To seem legitimate, they include the victim’s email and a leaked password from a previous data breach.
Some versions now include a screenshot of the victim’s home (via Google Maps) to increase fear.
These scams are fake, but extremely effective. If you or your child receives such an email:
Do not respond. Do not click links. Do not engage. Delete the message and block the sender.
Sock Puppet Accounts
One common tactic that we have seen on the Meta platform (Facebook and Instagram), cappers will use fake social media accounts, also known as “sock puppets.” Remember, wherever youth are online, no matter what the platform, there will be those who will want to target our kids for online predation and exploitation via the use of a fake account.
A common feature of these sock puppet accounts that we have identified - often, they will have a high following number, combined with a high follower number, but the actual number of posts made by the owner of the account will be extremely small, usually under 10. Most will also contain info in the bio that will lead to a link where more private communications can take place like a Snapchat account. The bio picture will be a stolen screen capture of another person from another social media platform like Instagram, Snapchat, or even OnlyFans.
Tips / Tricks
To help minimize being a target for sextortion, lockdown and privatize your social media accounts, and be careful about who you invite in. This is especially true with Instagram. If you have an open Instagram account, a capper will usually screen capture their target’s friends’ page before they connect to start the sextortion. The capper will often say, “If you do not send me more nudes, money, or gift cards I will send your intimate image/video to all your family and friends on Instagram”. They will then provide a screenshot they took of your Instagram friends (having pushed the “follow” button next to several of your followers) to prove that they know who you are. It is also becoming more common that the capper will also create an Instagram group chat account using another sock puppet account, where they will add several of your friends with the intent to apply further pressure to pay the ransom or else they will post the pictures/video you sent them to this chat group. Again, they will send you a screenshot of this Instagram chat group to increase the pressure. Lock down your Instagram account, and all the other social media accounts you own, and minimize the amount of personal information that you have on your Instagram bio such as your full name, school name or initials, links to your other social media accounts such as Snapchat, TikTok, or VSCO which are all publicly viewable even with a private account.
With the permission of the 15-year-old teen and their parents, we are going to share with you an actual grooming process of a teen by a Capper that was conducted in a private messaging stream. Misspells represent actual communications.
Capper: Hi, how are you
Teen: Good hbu. do you live in France
Capper: I am fine, a little bit bored, font thing we know each other but Facebook was created to make friends. I saw your profile at the right to my screen. I like make new friends. Am I bothering you?
Teen: Where are you from?
Capper: okay, you look cool nice to meet you, I am Esthelle, where do you live
Teen: nice to meet you too
Capper: never been in this part of Suisse I am from France but at the moment I am in Maryland, I came to visit my sister, How old are you?
Teen: ohhh that’s cool im 19
Capper: I just turned 20 last march, and what fo you do for work?
Teen: ive neem to France before on holidays its very cool. I am going to school right now how about you?
Capper: Ok that is awesome, I am hairdresser at home in France, but since I came to America for the summer, I do nothing at this time. But on mu return to France, I will go to a casting to be model. Its my dream to be model lol. Do you have a girlfriend
Teen: haha that awesome, good for you
Capper: ok im single too im looking for a good man one day what do you do for fun? Haha, but youre far away, I have an idea what is your name on gmail? I want to add u on hangout and we will chat in private there.
Teen: what is hangout
Capper: I sent you message on hangout answer me
Teen: I just installed the app it isn’t showing up send another
Capper: add me on hangout, call me now, you see me know?
Teen: yea I see you
Capper: write me I have a problem with microphone ok, I can not wait for you write me ok
Teen: can you hear me
Capper: you are very beautiful
Teen: so are you, can you hear my voice
Capper: I am excited I want to see your beautiful cock and you will see my pussy
Teen: ok you go first
Capper: fo down your cam on your beautiful cock and you’ll see my pussy now
Teen: the video is laggy though
Capper: drop your camera on your beautiful cock ill see and you’ll see my pussy now
Teen: the cams not really working
Capper: So sir right ow this video is on the channel YouTube but in private world. That is to say that it is you and I who know its existence. So if you try to hold me up I swing the link of your video to your loved ones, friends, family and your place of work. So youre going to stay calm and discuss the removal of your video, answer all my questions as I do this for a good cause. OK. I am the devil who came to earth to show you hell on earth. Then if you want to try to stand up to me you’ll regret it all your life. I swear, I swear to you that only one stupidity and I will react very badly by rotting your life so stay calm and listen to me very well if your really want your privacy and your image. You know very well that I can do it. In addition, your video is a video pedophile, this is forbidden on the net and by the law then if published you will do the rest of your life in prison. I swear to you because I am the most determined to make you know hell. So stay calm and answer my questions to end this video case once and for all
Teen: ??? what do you want bro what do you want to delete it
Capper: I swear if you try to block me or withdraw on facebook I will ruin your life with this well understood video
Teen: what do you want
Capper: I am on the verge of rotting your life, but it will depend upon your actions. If you so not want to see me post this video everywhere, you will calm down and answer my questions and everything will be fine
Teen: okwtf, what do you want ???? what do you want bro
Cappers Are Adapting To Teen Counter Measures
Teens are smart; because of the news, social media safety programs, and learning from their peers who have fallen victim to this crime, many are aware of the tactics being used by cappers to bait them into the sextortion trap.
Often cappers will use screen-scraped nudes from porn sites or looping recorded porn video as their bait. Many teens know this and therefore will employ counter-tactics in an attempt to confirm that the person they are interacting with, via a private live stream is, in fact, a real person and not a looping recorded porn video. However, since January 2022, we have helped several teens, and their families, where the teen ended up being sextorted online by a “real” teen female they first met in an open social network. As the target was being groomed online, they were convinced to transition over to a more private space to engage in sexualized behaviour that no one else could see.
In these cases, rather than using a recorded looping nude video, the teen female was a real person who sexually engaged with their target via a live-streaming video. We believe the females in these cases are not often willing participants, but likely the victims of human trafficking that a capper was using as the lure to hook their intended target. However, in some cases, they may be willing participants. Here’s an actual posting that we located on the dark web that was posted by a capper:
“By a happy coincidence, I now have a girl that I will partner with in order to make some money e-whoring with. She is in her mid 20’s, attractive, more the cute type of girl. She told me she would do pictures and video and also send verifications when people ask for it”
Once their intended target shares an intimate image/video of themselves, the actual capper behind the camera then reveals the trap and begins the extortion process given they now possess a covert recording of the sexual behaviour their target was exhibiting in front of their camera. In all the cases we have assisted with, the capper also sent screenshots they captured from the recorded video to several online friends of the target (that they located on Snapchat or Instagram) as a part of the sextortion process, to increase pressure on the targeted teen to pay a ransom.
Most teens have been educated about capping and sextortion, where pictures and recorded looping video are commonly used as the bait. However, many are not aware that some cappers have upped their game and are now using “real” teen females, who are likely being forced to engage in live sexual acts by commercialized sexual exploiters (cappers), as the lure. As a teen whom we recently helped shared with us:
“I took all precautions to ensure it wasn’t a recording, but I was still fooled because it was a real live person who was my age”
We also had the first case where an adult male was sextorted by a capper who utilized “real time” AI streaming technology to look like a younger female.
In this recent incident, an adult male engaged in what he believed to be consensual, sexually explicit interactions with an individual posing as an adult female on a popular streaming platform. However, after the sexual acts had been completed, the female persona uncloaked to reveal two male “cappers,” who then extorted $2000.00 from him.
Some key insights gleaned from our conversation with the survivor of this crime include:
During the sexual interaction, the entire communication occurred via text, as the cappers claimed their microphone was malfunctioning.
The live AI-generated streaming video responded to “ALL” requests made via text, convincingly simulating a live interaction and not a recording.
Ransom payment was made in cryptocurrency.
The cappers accessed the survivor’s social media contacts and communicated with them via phone-based text messages, leveraging publicly available information on their social media platforms to apply more pressure to pay the ransom.
This represents our first documented instance of what we believe to be live “streaming” AI being employed in a sextortion scheme, underscoring the urgency of educating teens and adults about this new threat method. With AI advancements, it’s crucial to exercise extreme caution when engaging in any form of sexualized behaviour with someone met online for the first time. WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!
This was a sophisticated sextortion, using some leading-edge technology and ransom payment procedure
Deepfake “Nudification” Sextortion
We’ve become aware of multiple incidents where teens have been targeted online for sextortion, but not because they sent a nude of themselves. In these cases, offenders, usually organized crime groups, have used AI deepfake apps to manipulate fully clothed photos that were screen captured from a teen’s public social media platform like Instagram. The altered images are then “nudified” to extort money or actual explicit content from the targeted teens, with threats to share the manipulated images publicly or with parents if the teen does not comply with the offenders demands. We recently assisted a family where the teen provided the picture from their social media platform to confirm that they had not sent a nude, but that an existing picture on their social media platform was screen captured and nudified.
This is yet another reason why teaching youth and teens to keep their social media profiles private and being cautious about online connections can help minimize this risk, it’s also essential to understand that this strategy may not entirely prevent such incidents from occurring.
It is also important for parents and caregivers to understand that sometimes the nude being weaponized may not have been self-generated by their child! Why is this important, in the case we assisted on, the parent at first did not believe it was an AI generated nudified picture given that they were unaware that such technology existed.
Here’s how it works:
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Offenders - often organized crime groups - screen capture fully clothed images from a teen’s public social media accounts (especially Instagram).
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These images are then manipulated using AI deepfake tools to “nudify” the teen.
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The fake nude images are used to:
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Extort money, or
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Pressure the teen to send real explicit content.
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Threats include:
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“I’ll send this image to your parents.”
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“This will go public if you don’t comply.”
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We assisted a family in which:
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A teen had not sent a nude.
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The capper had used an image from their public Instagram, manipulated it with deepfake software, and used it to extort them.
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The teen proved their innocence by showing us the original photo that had been altered.
In 2024, we tested 24 Deepnude and undressing apps. for completely free or as low as $2 - the results... shocking
Read the full report HERE
Or watch a video summary
Sextortion Demographics
From January 2020 to Feb 2025 we have helped 329 teens, all under the age of 18yrs (the youngest was 12yrs), 316 who identified as male, and 12 who identified as female, who were targeted online by a sexualized troll (Capper) and extorted for money or more pictures. Of interest, in all of the cases where a male was targeted the Capper wanted money; in the 6 cases involving a teen girl, the Capper only wanted more pictures or video. In a recent US court filing investigators estimated that one organized crime group in Nigeria has made over 🔗2 million dollars via sextortion crimes. In most cases, the sextortion began in under thirty minutes of initial first contact with a targeted youth. Sextortion by someone the youth or child does not know, love, or trust is a real threat and one that we need to speak to our kids about!
Update Feb 2025: we now know of 44 teens boys , 5 here in Canada, who have died by suicide because they were the target of a sextortion – two in BC (one was 12yrs the other was 14yrs), one in Manitoba (17yrs), one in PEI (17yrs), and one in New Brunswick (16yrs)
Why Are Teen Boys Now the Primary Target?
Yes, teen girls are still being targeted by unknown online predators. However, over the past several years, teen boys have become the bigger target. Why?
Peer-reviewed research helps explain:
Compared to teen boys, teen girls are significantly less likely to:
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Engage in risky online sexual behaviour.
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Perceive any benefit in communicating with strangers for sexual purposes.
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Sources: Baumgartner (2010), Montiel et al. (2016)
Boys, however, appear more likely to engage in:
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Sexually revealing self-exposure online.
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Risky interactions with unknown individuals.
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Source: Jonsson et al. (2014)
Because of this, online cappers know that boys are often more vulnerable to manipulation, particularly when it comes to grooming and luring tactics. They exploit this vulnerability to:
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Encourage boys to perform sexual acts.
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Covertly record these acts.
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Use the recordings as blackmail for money or more content.
According to Dr Scott Hadland, chief of adolescent medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, when you mix the above 3 reasons with the fact that “teen brains are still developing. When something catastrophic happens, like a personal picture is released to people online, it’s hard for the teen to look past that moment and understand that in the big scheme of things they’ll be able to get through this” Again, a psychological effect that cappers knowingly take advantage of.
False Confidence and Shame: A Dangerous Combo
Digital disinhibition leads many teen boys to believe that they’re anonymous and immune to consequences online.
They’re often overconfident, believing:
“This won’t happen to me—I’m smarter than them.”
Boys are less likely to report the crime due to embarrassment or fear of judgment.
This stigma is well-known to cappers, who exploit it to maintain control.
Dr. Scott Hadland, Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, explains:
“Teen brains are still developing. When something catastrophic happens—like a personal picture is released online—it’s hard for a teen to look past that moment and understand that in the big scheme of things, they’ll be able to get through it.”
Cappers count on this fear and psychological pressure to escalate their threats.
Update (February 2025)
We now know of 44 teen boys—five in Canada—who have died by suicide after being targeted by sextortion:
British Columbia: Two boys, ages 12 and 14
Manitoba: One boy, age 17
Prince Edward Island: One boy, age 17
New Brunswick: One boy, age 16
Sextortion Stats
The following data illustrates the growing threat of youth sextortion in Canada:
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Between December 2021 and May 2022, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) reported a 150% increase in sextortion cases involving youth.
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Cybertips.ca, Canada’s tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children, now receives over 50 sextortion reports per week.
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In 2023 alone, they handled more than 2,300 sextortion reports involving Canadian teens and their families.
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An estimated 87% of reported victims identified as teen boys.
Understanding the Numbers: Perspective Matters
While these numbers are deeply concerning, it's important to balance fear with perspective. According to a 2018 peer-reviewed study by Dr. Justin Patchin and Dr. Sameer Hinduja:
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Only 5% of over 5,000 middle and high school students reported being victims of sextortion.
A 2022 peer-reviewed study of over 2,000 adults (18+) found:
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4.5% of men and 2.3% of women reported experiencing sextortion during the pandemic.
Sextortion Response: 10-Step Emergency Protocol
Sextortion: 10-Step Emergency Protocol
Over the past five years, five Canadian teens have tragically died by suicide after being targeted for sextortion. As of May 2025, we’ve now assisted 333 teens and their families facing similar threats.
The emotional, psychological, and social toll on youth in these situations is profound. As Dr. Scott Hadland, Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains:
“Teen brains are still developing. When something catastrophic happens—like a personal picture being released online—it’s hard for the teen to look past that moment and understand that, in the big scheme of things, they’ll be able to get through it.”
This is why immediate intervention is so important. Reducing panic and restoring a sense of control can literally save lives.
We developed the following 10-step emergency protocol based on our experience helping hundreds of teens. It is designed to minimize harm, preserve evidence, and provide emotional support.
Stop All Communication
Immediately stop engaging with the capper.
Do not negotiate.
Do not reply.
The longer communication continues, the worse the situation usually becomes.
Don’t Pay Any Ransom
Do not pay money, send gift cards, images, or videos.
If you pay once, they’ll label you a “whale” and come back for more.
According to Cybertip.ca:
In 93% of cases where money is paid, the capper comes back with additional demands.
🔗 Report
If a payment was made, immediately contact your bank or service provider:
Cash App: https://cash.app/help/3051-canceling-a-payment
Venmo: https://help.venmo.com/hc/en-us/articles/235171088-Cancel-Payment
Western Union: https://wucare.westernunion.com/s/article/How-do-I-cancel-a-money-transfer?language=en_US
WorldRemit: https://www.worldremit.com/en/faq/cancellations-refunds
Screen Record or Capture All Communications
Preserve evidence:
Screen recording is ideal.
If not possible, take screenshots of every interaction.
Put your device in airplane mode to prevent remote deletion by the capper.
Deactivate, Don’t Delete
Deactivate your account, but do not delete it yet.
Police may want to conduct an account takeover to track the offender.
Do not delete the image you sent—it may help with takedown protocols later.
Deactivation guides:
Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/728869160569983/
TikTok: https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/deleting-an-account/deactivate-your-account
Snapchat: Snapchat can only be deactivated by deletion, but deletion gives a 30-day window to reverse.
Notify the Police
Sextortion is a crime. Reporting to police is important—even if the capper is overseas.
If you still have the image, police can request a digital fingerprint (hash) through the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
This helps programs like Project Arachnid detect and remove the image from the surface and deep web.
🔗 Project Arachnid
Don’t want to involve police?You can still report to Project Arachnid directly or, in the U.S., use:🔗 NCMEC’s Take It Down tool
***Note***
It’s very common that the capper will state that if you notify the police, you will be arrested because if you are under the age of 18 you broke the law by creating and sending in their words “child pornography” which is illegal. However, in Canada, this assertion is legally inaccurate, and you WILL NOT face arrest. This misinformation is intended to heighten pressure for compliance with their demands and dissuade you from contacting law enforcement.
Block and Delete (When Safe to Do So)
After police have advised it’s safe to do so, block and delete the capper across all platforms.
If you choose not to involve police, go ahead and block the individual—but only after you’ve saved all evidence and deactivated your account.
Make your account private, change your password, and enable two-factor authentication.
Don’t Accept New Requests for 48 Hours
After blocking the capper, they will likely try to reconnect using a different account or alias.
For the next 48 hours, do not accept any new friend or follow requests on any platform.
Ignore all unknown calls or messages, even if they appear to be from someone familiar—this could be part of their pressure campaign.
Based on our experience with 333 teenagers we’ve assisted, it’s “likely” that the nude images won’t be widely redistributed. In fact, we haven’t encountered a single instance where the sent nudes were widely disseminated. While we can’t guarantee this won’t occur (as we’ve heard reports of it happening elsewhere), none of our cases have resulted in widespread distribution – not one. However, in six instances, the nude images were shared with one or two friends as part of the coercion tactics to compel payment of the ransom. It’s not uncommon for the perpetrator to send you screenshots of your friends on social media to increase pressure for compliance with their demands. If this happens, and your face was not in the picture, then you have deniability and can say “that’s not me” to those few friends and followers who were sent the picture/video. If your face was in the picture, it does make it more difficult, but good friends will not re-distribute.
Additionally, it’s crucial to understand that several leading social networks employ highly effective artificial intelligence (AI) systems. These systems can swiftly detect and remove nude content posted in public areas of their platforms, although this isn’t always guaranteed. If such content isn’t promptly removed, it’s advisable to contact the social media platform directly to request its removal.
Set Up Google AlertsSet Up Google Alerts
Use Google Alerts to monitor if your name appears online in connection to the incident.
You’ll need a Gmail account.
Set up an alert using your full name in quotes, e.g., "Jordan Smith".
If the image gets posted to the surface web, Google may detect it and notify you.
⚠️ Important: If you receive an alert, don’t panic. Many people share the same name—verify it’s really you before taking further action.
Don’t Hire Fee-for-Service Takedown Companies
Beware of companies that claim, for a fee, they can:
Stop sextortion,
Recover images,
Guarantee takedowns.
We’ve worked with several families who paid hundreds or even thousands of dollars to these companies, only to be told later that “nothing could be done.”
There are free, legitimate resources available that are far more effective, including:
Project Arachnid (Canada)
Take It Down (USA)
Change Your Phone Number
If you shared your phone number with the capper or received threatening messages via text:
Contact your mobile provider and change your number.
We’ve seen multiple cases where cappers sold victim phone numbers to other scammers.
While inconvenient, this step can prevent future contact and re-victimization.
Final Words of Support
We know how traumatic this experience can be for youth. When sextortion occurs, the capper’s goal is to:
“Induce stress, anxiety, or discomfort so the victim will make decisions that go against their best interest.”
That pressure is even more intense for youth who may feel alone, ashamed, or scared.
The Good News
In the vast majority of cases we’ve helped with—when the capper was a stranger:
The nude was never widely redistributed.
After 48 hours of no contact, the capper usually moved on to another target.
Why? This is about money, not revenge. These criminals are running a business—and time is money.
Here's a free in-depth video that we have produced on the topic of sextortion for parents, caregivers, and educators
Parenting Through Sextortion
What Your Child Needs Most
When a child discloses that they are being sextorted, your immediate response as a parent or caregiver matters more than anything else.
✋ Pause. Breathe. Respond, Don’t React.
If your child comes to you and says they are being sextorted, they have done something incredibly brave. Disclosing something so personal, embarrassing, and terrifying takes immense courage.
Your first job isn’t to punish—it’s to protect.
Take a deep breath.
Thank them for telling you.
Hug them (if they’ll let you).
Reassure them that they are not alone and that you’re going to get through this together.
Avoid Blame or Shame
Now is not the time for judgment. Don’t say:
“Why did you send that photo?”
“I told you not to talk to strangers!”
“What were you thinking?”
These responses can drive your child into isolation or prevent them from ever coming to you again when something serious happens online.
Instead, say:
“Thank you for telling me.”
“I’m here to help, not to judge.”
“We’ll figure this out together.”
Your Guidance is Critical
Yes, consequences can be discussed—but after the crisis has passed. Right now, your child needs you to be:
A calm leader
A fierce advocate
A source of emotional safety
Remember:
In most families, love is unconditional. Even if you don’t like what your child did, you still love them, and they need to hear that.
Support Recovery with Professional Help (if needed)
Being a victim of sextortion can lead to:
Anxiety
Shame
Depression
Suicidal ideation
Professional counselling can help your child:
Rebuild self-esteem
Process trauma
Develop resilience
Even if your child insists “I’m fine,” consider counselling as a preventative step, not just a reaction to crisis.
Intimate Image Takedowns
As social media vendors update their reporting protocols, takedown procedures can change without warning. The below noted procedures were current at the time of publishing this Chapter in May 2025.
No matter what social media platform you will be connecting with to request a takedown, it is important that you share these six essential elements with the social media vendor if possible:
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Screen Capture the intimate image/video that was posted as evidence, as well as it’s URL (where it is located on the platform/internet). The URL is required in most takedown requests.
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Confirm that you are the person in the intimate image/ video that was posted.
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Confirm your age at the time the intimate image/video was posted, this is especially true if at the time of the production of the picture/video you were under the age of 18yrs, which would make it “child pornography” and is a federal crime in Canada and in most countries.
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Confirm you did not post the intimate image/video, and you did not give consent to anyone else to post the image/video – which is a federal crime in Canada.
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If you notified the police, provide the name of the police department, the police case number, and the investigating officer. Often, this can expedite a social media platform to take an image down.
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Include the section of the social media Terms of Service (TOS) that the image/video violates. Most social media vendors state clearly that the posting of any nudity is a clear violation of their policy and subject to immediate removal.
Important Note:
If you are reporting the non-consensual distribution of an intimate image/video to the police (which we highly encourage), we recommend that before you start connecting with a social media platform to have it taken down, ensure that the police give you the go-ahead to do so first. In some cases, and depending upon the police agency, law enforcement may need to gather required evidence before a takedown action is initiated.
The White Hatter guide on how to request the removal of non-consensual posted intimate images/video from popular social networks. Click the below-noted link, then click the PDF link, then click open:
https://ln5.sync.com/dl/d501b6eb0#jb2gyj5r-9p8yyu4d-vkd5j56s-n7bvc5ky
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