How to Report Blackmail or Sextortion on Instagram

A message arrives: send money, or a private photo, video or chat gets shared with everyone you follow. The panic that follows makes people do exactly what the blackmailer wants, which is pay quickly and quietly. The steps below are in the order that actually helps, and the first one is the hardest to do while scared: stop and do not send anything yet.

This is a recognised, common scam, not something unique to you, and it is not your fault. Instagram's own guidance on blackmail says plainly that if someone is threatening to share your intimate images, videos or messages, it is against Instagram's rules, and it tells people to report it and contact local law enforcement.

This guide walks through what to do in the first ten minutes, how to report the account on Instagram, how StopNCII.org can protect an image before it is shared further, and when Malaysia's police and NSRC become part of the response.

Last checked: 9 November 2026.

#Quick Answer

Stop replying and do not pay or send anything else, since giving in rarely ends the demands and often brings more. Screenshot the profile, the messages and any payment or image demands before you do anything else. Then report the account on Instagram, which treats threats to share intimate images, videos or messages as a rule violation, and contact the police as Instagram's own guidance recommends. If an intimate image is involved, StopNCII.org can create a digital fingerprint on your own device to help stop it spreading on participating platforms. If money has already been sent, call your bank and the National Scam Response Centre on 997 straight away.

#The First Ten Minutes

1. Stop replying. Do not negotiate, explain yourself or ask them to stop. Every reply confirms someone is reading.
2. Do not pay and do not send more images, video or money. This is the single most important thing Instagram's own guidance and victim support organisations agree on.
3. Screenshot the profile, including the username, and every message, with the date and time visible.
4. Screenshot or note any payment details they have given you, such as a bank account or e-wallet.
5. Do not delete the conversation yet. You may need it for the report and for the police.

#Why Should You Never Pay?

Paying treats the demand as a one-off transaction. In practice, a payment confirms you will pay, which is the opposite of what stops the behaviour. The safer path, uncomfortable as it feels in the moment, is to stop engaging and move straight to reporting and documentation instead of negotiating a price.

#How Do You Report Blackmail on Instagram?

Instagram's own page, Dealing with blackmail on Instagram, says that if someone is trying to blackmail you by threatening to share private information unless you send money or something else you are uncomfortable with, you should report it, and also contact your local law enforcement. It also says you can block the person if you do not want them to contact you or see your posts.

1. Open the profile or the conversation.
2. Tap the three dots or the options menu.
3. Select Report.
4. Choose the category closest to the situation: threats, blackmail or nudity and sexual exploitation, depending on what is being threatened.
5. Follow the on-screen steps and submit.

Instagram's guidance on intimate images shared without consent adds that after you report, specially trained representatives review the content, and if it is removed, Instagram uses photo matching technology to help stop the same image being shared again on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger.

#Should You Block Them?

Yes, once you have saved what you need. Blocking stops the person contacting you or seeing your profile, which Instagram's blackmail page offers as a direct option. Capture your screenshots first, since blocking can change what you are able to see or copy from the conversation afterwards.

#Protecting an Image Before or After It Spreads

If the threat involves an intimate image or video of you, StopNCII.org can help, whether the image has already been shared or you are trying to stop it happening. StopNCII's own FAQ explains how it works:

• It creates a digital fingerprint, called a hash, from your image on your own device. The image itself never leaves your device and is never stored.
• The hash is shared with participating platforms, which can then detect and act on a matching upload.
• You must be the person in the image, be 18 or older in it, and have access to it. StopNCII's FAQ confirms sextortion and webcam blackmail cases are covered, and that deepfakes of you qualify too.
• If you are under 18 in the image, use Take It Down instead, run by the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
• Keep your case number and PIN safe. StopNCII cannot recover them if lost, and without them you cannot check your case status.

#Is This Blackmail or Sextortion?

The words overlap in everyday use. Blackmail is the broader term: a threat to expose or share something unless a demand, usually money, is met. Sextortion specifically involves sexual images, video or activity as the thing being threatened. Instagram's reporting flow does not require you to label it correctly before reporting, so pick the category that matches what is actually being threatened, and report it regardless of which word fits best.

#Contact the Police

Instagram's own guidance says to contact local law enforcement alongside reporting the account. Bring your screenshots, the profile details and any payment information. This matters even if nothing has been paid yet: an active threat is worth a police report on its own.

#Malaysia Context: If Money Has Already Been Sent

• Contact your bank's fraud hotline straight away to ask about stopping or reversing the transfer.
• Call the National Scam Response Centre on 997, which coordinates with banks and police on scam-related transfers.
• Report the incident to CyberSecurity Malaysia's Cyber999, the national point of contact for cyber incidents, which can provide technical analysis and help escalate the matter.
• Make a police report regardless of whether money was involved, since the threat itself is a separate issue from any payment.

#When a Case Review Makes Sense

Most single-threat cases are addressed by stopping contact, reporting and, where relevant, a StopNCII case and a police report. A case review is worth considering when the blackmail is ongoing across several accounts or platforms, when it is tied to a business or professional account, or when organising the evidence feels overwhelming on top of everything else. SocialSafe by AwareXone reviews the case first and helps prepare the report through Instagram's own process. We never ask for your password, your images or a login code. Read how we work for the rest.

#Frequently Asked Questions