What to Do the First Hour of an AI Sextortion Scam

AI sextortion is when a stranger DMs you AI-generated nudes of yourself — built from your Instagram photos — and threatens to send them to your contacts unless you pay. The FBI says do NOT pay (it never stops), do NOT delete (you need the evidence), and DO report to NCMEC's CyberTipline within hours. Payment escalates threats; reporting freezes accounts.

Some examples

• An Instagram DM with a nudified photo of you arrives at 11pm — you screenshot the message, the username, and the bitcoin wallet, then block but don't delete the chat.
• You go to report.cybertip.org and file a CyberTipline report (free, anonymous if you want, run by NCMEC) — this triggers actual federal investigation.
• You also use takeitdown.ncmec.org to push a hash of the fake image to Meta, TikTok, Snap, X, and Reddit so it cannot reupload.
• You tell ONE adult — even an awkward conversation tonight beats the alternative; the FBI's PSA literally says teen suicides have followed silence.

Try it!

Save report.cybertip.org and takeitdown.ncmec.org as bookmarks on your phone right now. If it ever happens to you or a friend, you'll have the playbook open before panic sets in.

AI sextortion has exploded — scammers grab your photo from Instagram, generate a fake nude, and threaten to send it to your contacts unless you pay. The FBI says hundreds of teens have died by suicide from these scams. Paying makes it worse. Reporting fast is the move.

Some examples

• The FBI ran a 2024 alert on AI-fueled teen sextortion.
• Scammers usually demand $500-$2000 in gift cards or crypto.
• Block, screenshot, then report at CyberTipline.org and tell a parent.
• NCMEC's Take It Down service can help remove fake images of minors.

Try it!

Save these in your phone notes right now: CyberTipline.org and TakeItDown.NCMEC.org. You may never need them — but a friend might.

Sextortion crews use AI to generate flawless flirty messages in any language, then pivot to demanding money once a teen sends a photo. The opening lines follow a pattern — once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

Some examples

• Ask Claude to list the 8 most common sextortion opening lines so you recognize them in your DMs.
• Ask ChatGPT what to do in the first 10 minutes if a friend already sent something.
• Ask Gemini how Take It Down and the FBI tip line work for under-18 victims.
• Ask Perplexity for the latest sextortion case stats to share with friends who think it cannot happen to them.

Try it!

Open your DMs from this week. Run any flirty stranger message past Claude and ask 'is this a sextortion opener?' Get a second opinion in 30 seconds.