Daniel
Daniel is in his early 20s. When he’s bored, he often opens Tinder and starts swiping.
One night, he matches with Nicole. She seems attractive and about his age. Within 15 minutes of messaging back and forth, Nicole asks for his Instagram handle and suggests they move the conversation to Telegram. Daniel agrees and shares both.
On Telegram, Nicole suggests having some fun and being a bit naughty, and the messages quickly become more flirtatious and sexual.
Without much prompting, Nicole sends Daniel a nude and asks Daniel to do the same, but he doesn’t feel sure about it.
She then sends an explicit video and suggests he shares something similar. At this point, Daniel agrees and sends a nude video of himself.
Within seconds, the tone changes.
Daniel receives a stream of threatening messages:
‘I OWN YOUR PIC
I HAVE EVERYTHING TO RUIN YOUR LIFE
ONLY MONEY CAN HELP YOU END THIS PEACEFULLY’
His phone rings. It’s Nicole calling – but the voice on the other end is male.
The man threatens to send Daniel’s videos to his family and friends unless he transfers $5,000 immediately.
Daniel hangs up in a panic.
Minutes later, he receives screenshots of his Instagram profile and follower list, including family members and close friends. More messages appear on his screen:
‘AS YOU CAN SEE, JUST ONE CLICK
ALL I WANT FROM YOU IS MONEY BRO
DEAL OR NOT?’
Daniel doesn’t have $5,000. He’s scared and tries to negotiate. The man responds that $1,000 will be enough.
Daniel agrees to send $1,000.
As he desperately tries to log into his bank account, more messages come through:
‘I WILL COUNT FROM 1O
IF I DON’T HAVE THE MONEY YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN
10
9
8
7
6’
Daniel then receives an image showing his nude video being uploaded in a group message to his friends and family with the message:
‘PAY ME NOW OR I HIT SEND.
5
4
3’
Terrified, Daniel finally manages to transfer the money.
But the messages don’t stop.
‘I OWN YOUR VIDEO
SEND ANOTHER 1000’
Daniel realises the threats won’t end. In a panic, he blocks the account.
What Daniel wants others to know
It’s only after the immediate panic passes that Daniel searches online for what has happened to him. He learns this type of blackmail is called sexual extortion, or ‘sextortion’, and that it’s often carried out by organised criminals based overseas for financial gain.
Daniel now understands he’s a victim of a crime and he’s not alone.
Daniel doesn’t regret using dating apps. What he regrets is how quickly he trusted someone he didn’t know, and how fast he shared personal information and intimate images.
He wishes he had known:
- Criminals often move conversations off dating and other social media apps very quickly.
- They create urgency, sexual pressure and false intimacy.
- The threats are often scripted and designed to create panic.
- Paying does not make the threats stop.
- The safest response is to stop contact, report them to the platform, block them and get support.
Find more information on how to manage the impacts of sextortion and other forms of image-based abuse.
*Daniel’s story combines the experiences and emotions of a number of individuals in this situation. Commissioned photo. Posed by model.
Get support
Learn more and connect with support. There are also a number of ways you can take action to remove and report intimate images if you have experienced image-based abuse or 'revenge porn'.
Sam's story
Last updated: 21/05/2026