Simply put, sextortion is blackmail. It’s when someone online threatens to send a sexual image or video of you to other people if you don’t pay the person or provide more sexual content.
Sextortion usually starts with normal online conversations and then when chats are moved to more private platforms, quickly turn very personal and sexual.
The person might use things like flattery or attention bombing to make you feel special, or try to make you feel bad or use sympathy in order to manipulate you into doing what they want. They may demand more videos or to transfer them money. Often they will pretend to be a teen girl or boy to build trust and a connection.
Remember it is super risky to send nudes or live stream sexual acts. You can easily lose control over what happens to it.
If you notice these kinds of behaviours or are feeling uncomfortable, trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right it is usually because you don’t have all the information — someone could be deceiving you.
There are ways to get out of these uncomfortable situations, like abruptly stop contact, use humour or make up excuses to stop contact. Or you can simply hit block.
If someone is threatening to share your nude image or video, there is help:
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