How To Prevent Sextortion

As a survivor of sextortion, this topic is very important to me.

Telling someone that you're being exploited on the internet is terrifying, especially if the perpetrator is threatening you, your family, and your friends. My perpetrator was able to convince me that I would go to jail if I told anyone that he was abusing me online. Threats can be much stronger than physical chains!

When I was experiencing sextortion in 2016 and 2017 there were a lot fewer resources available than there are now. In this article, I will share some helpful resources that can assist you in becoming free from virtual abduction.

The site linked below entitled, "Take It Down" is a useful website that assists people who have leaked nude photographs that were taken of them as a minor remove them from the internet. Click on the link below for more information.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a fantastic resource, the PDF I've attached below contains steps that survivors can follow to get support and work to receive justice. There's also an email and phone number for assistance that's provided at the end of the document which I've also listed in this article below.

Email: familysupport@ncmec.org

Phone Number: 1-877-446-2632 ext. 6117

Another resource for sextortion survivors that I'd love to highlight is Team HOPE which is part of The National Center for

"Team HOPE is a group of peer support volunteers who have lived experience with missing and exploited children’s issues." I've attached the link to Team HOPE below, it's free phone-based support. Call 866-305-HOPE.

Team HOPE can be extremely helpful for sextortion victims and survivors because the team has direct experience with child exploitation. They're available to help aid and support those who need it.

The School Safety website recently, in 2023, added a child exploitation section that schools can utilize to educate and provide resources to children and their guardians.

Know2Protect is an organization that provides many resources for victims and survivors of sextortion. They have a link to a crisis line and a direct tipline where trained personnel review the information provided.

Crisis Line: Text 988 or call 911

Tip Line: 833-591-KNOW (5669)

The information you provide to the trained personnel will then be sent to Homeland Security and investigated if they retrieve enough information from you. This organization also has many campaign resources to raise awareness of sextortion and has outreach programs to educate the public. They even offer iGuardian presentations for parents, teens, and tweens (ages ten and up) by emailing: iGuardian.hq@hsi.dhs.gov

Netsmartz is a resource that provides age-appropriate videos to educate children on child exploitation. The organization also provides training, classroom activities, and presentations. Netsmartz's goal is to help equip children with information that will ensure they stay safe.

There are many more videos on the Netsmartz website that I recommend watching, including an entire series on YouTube entitled, "Into The Cloud".