Safety
Sextortion: what to do first, and how a face search helps
Sextortion is a threat to share intimate images unless you pay or send more. The first moves matter more than any search tool: do not pay, stop replying, keep the evidence and report it. Once you are safe, a face search can show whether an image was really published on a public page, which is often not the case.
First search free. No account needed. Updated November 6, 2026 by The FaceSearch Team.
What to do in the first hour
Do not pay and do not send more
Payment almost never ends it. The FBI's guidance is consistent: paying leads to more demands, because you have shown you will pay.
Stop replying, but do not delete anything
Block after you have saved the evidence. Messages, usernames, profile links, payment requests and any images they sent are what the platform and the police need.
Screenshot and save everything
Capture the full conversation with dates and the account details. Save it somewhere the other person cannot reach.
Report the account on the platform
Every major app has a report option for threats and sexual exploitation. The report guide links each form.
Report to the police or a cybercrime portal
Use the routes above. A report also helps the next person the same account targets.
Tell someone
A friend, a family member or a helpline. Isolation is what the threat relies on.
Why paying does not work
Most sextortion is run at scale by organised groups working from a script. The threat is the product; the images are often never posted because posting them ends the leverage. Paying marks you as someone who pays, and the demands continue. The FBI, IC3 and national helplines all give the same advice: stop, save, report.
Did they actually post anything?
Once the evidence is saved and the report is in, a reverse face search answers a question that otherwise keeps people awake: has the image appeared on a public page? Upload a clear photo of your face, not the intimate image, and the results show public pages where a matching face appears. In many sextortion cases the answer is nothing, because nothing was posted. The first search is free and needs no account, and the search is private.
If an image was posted
| Where it appeared | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A major social platform | The platform's non-consensual intimate image report | In the US, platforms must remove a reported image within 48 hours under the Take It Down Act, enforced by the FTC since May 2026 |
| Any participating platform, before or after posting | StopNCII.org (adults) or Take It Down (under 18) | A fingerprint of the image blocks copies without sharing the image |
| A website that will not respond | Google's removal request for explicit images, then the host | The removal guide has the forms |
| A page that reuses your ordinary photos | The takedown guide | Copyright and personal-information routes apply |
The intimate image abuse page goes through each route in more detail, including what to send and how long each takes.
Looking after yourself
Sextortion is designed to make you feel alone and ashamed. It is a crime committed against you, and the people who answer the helplines above hear this story every day. If the threat is affecting your sleep, your work or your safety, say so to someone who can help, and keep the evidence for the report rather than reading it again.
Questions
01If I pay once, will they stop?
Almost never. The FBI's guidance and every national helpline say the same: paying signals that you will pay again, and the demands continue. Do not pay, do not send more, save the evidence, block and report.
02How do I know whether they really posted the images?
Run a face search with a clear photo of your face, not the intimate image. The results show public pages where a matching face appears. Often there are none, because the threat was the point. A clean result is not proof, since private channels are not indexed, but it is the best public check you can run yourself.
03I am under 18. What should I do?
Tell a trusted adult now; you are not in trouble. Use Take It Down at takeitdown.ncmec.org, which blocks the images on participating platforms without you sending them anywhere, and report to the police or the NCMEC CyberTipline. Do not use FaceSearch to search for images of yourself as a minor; ask the adult to use the routes above instead.
04Should I delete my accounts?
Not yet. Deleting removes the evidence the platform and police need. Save screenshots first, report the account, then block it. You can tighten privacy settings and take a break from the app without deleting.
05Will the police do anything?
Reports matter even when the sender is abroad. They connect cases, support platform takedowns and in some countries trigger a formal removal process. In the US report to ic3.gov, in the UK call 101, in India use cybercrime.gov.in or 1930.
06What exactly can FaceSearch do in a sextortion case?
One thing: show whether a photo of your face appears on a publicly accessible page, with the page it came from, so you can report it. It cannot see messages or private groups, cannot identify the sender, and does not remove anything from other sites. Removal from FaceSearch's own results is free at any time.
Sources
Related pages
- Intimate image abuseHelp lines and hashing tools first, then how to find public copies to report and what a face search cannot do.
- Getting a photo taken downSite owner, DMCA, Google removal, StopNCII or platform report: which route fits, what to send, and how long each takes.
- Remove your photos from the internetSite owners, DMCA, Google removals, StopNCII, data brokers and face search opt-outs, with how long each takes.
- How to report a fake profileThe impersonation report route on each major platform, the evidence to collect first, and when to involve the police.
- For parents and familiesReview a teenager's public footprint together, find reposted family photos, and know the help lines first.
- For survivorsFind where your photos were posted, document it and get it removed, with support services first and no searching of the abuser.
Your face is out there. Find it first.
Search with a photoPublic pages only. Your photo is never sold and never used to build a face database.