A video call is recorded, or a photo is morphed, and a demand follows with a countdown. Paying does not end it — it confirms you will pay again.
Do not
Do not pay. Do not negotiate. Do not delete the evidence. Do not engage further with the account.
Do
Screenshot the profile, messages and demands (with timestamps); block and report the account on the platform; report at cybercrime.gov.in — it has a dedicated category and can be filed anonymously; tell one trusted person; if a minor is involved, report immediately to the police and to the platform's child-safety channel.
What usually happens
Blocked and unpaid, most operators move on within days; the images are rarely published because publishing ends their leverage. Platforms remove reported content quickly; the NCMEC ‘Take It Down’ style tools can hash images so they cannot be re-uploaded.
Checklist
- ☐No payment made
- ☐Evidence preserved with timestamps
- ☐Account blocked and reported on the platform
- ☐cybercrime.gov.in report filed
- ☐One trusted person told
- ☐Camera covered / video calls from unknown accounts declined
Where to report
- • 1930 — national cyber-crime helpline (money lost: call within the first hour)
- • cybercrime.gov.in — National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
- • chakshu.sancharsaathi.gov.in — report fraud numbers and SMS
- • sachet.rbi.org.in — RBI complaints about unregistered lenders / deposit schemes