What Is Sextortion and How Can You Prevent It?

(Trigger warning: This conversation deals with issues that can be triggering to some victims. The content includes sexual assault and abuse, including minors and the use of AI-generated deepfakes. While all attempts have been made to keep the specifics as minimal as possible, this is a very difficult topic to read about for everybody and especially those who have suffered or continue to suffer. Please prepare yourself or consider reading this similar article about more general cases of extortion.)

In 2026, sextortion remains one of the most heinous and rapidly evolving cybercrimes. Historically, it referred to the act of coercing someone through threats or promises to perform sexual acts, often targeting minors. It also encompasses blackmail, where a perpetrator threatens to release sexually explicit material unless their demands are met.

However, the landscape has shifted dramatically with the rise of generative AI. Today, sextortion doesn't even require the victim to have ever shared or recorded an intimate image. Criminals now use deepfake technology to create hyper-realistic, fabricated imagery from innocent social media photos, fundamentally changing the nature of this threat.

What is sextortion?

Sending nude photos has become a common form of flirtation. So long as both parties are consenting adults, there is nothing inherently wrong with such expression. However, when you use webcams or social media for such flirtations, you risk the person not being who they say they are.

Many criminals prey on the lonely, using fake personas to gain their victim’s trust. In recent years, these "catfishing" tactics have been amplified by AI voice cloning and live deepfake video filters, making it nearly impossible to tell if the person on the other side of the screen is real. Once trust is established, the perpetrator entices the victim to perform sexual acts or share imagery, which is then used as a coercive tool.

In 2026, a secondary and equally dangerous form of sextortion has emerged: synthetic sextortion. Using publicly available photos from your Instagram or LinkedIn, predators use AI to "pornify" your image. They then threaten to send these forgeries to your family, employer, or spouse. Even though the images are fake, the potential for reputational damage and psychological trauma remains a powerful lever for extortion.

These recordings—whether real or AI-generated—are leveraged to force victims into paying money, performing further sexual acts, or even facilitating corporate espionage by handing over company login credentials.

Sextortion as an abuse of power

Sextortion as an abuse of power occurs when a person in authority—such as a judge, teacher, police officer, or employer—uses their position to coerce someone into sexual acts. This form of abuse was brought to global attention by the #metoo movement and continues to be a systemic issue.

In corporate environments, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) were historically abused to keep these crimes secret. While many jurisdictions have since passed laws to prevent NDAs from covering sexual assault, the power dynamic makes these crimes incredibly difficult to prove. If you are facing this, the best course of action is to document everything and report it to the authorities or a dedicated legal advocacy group immediately.

Sextortion as a form of blackmail

In this form, criminals use sexually explicit material—real or fabricated—to force a victim to act. The methods for acquiring this material have become increasingly sophisticated:

• Data Breach Integration: Scammers often include an old password or a Google Maps image of your home in their extortion email to "prove" they have hacked your devices, even if they haven't.
• AI Fabrication: As mentioned, deepfake technology allows criminals to create "evidence" out of thin air using only your public profile pictures.
• Webcam Hijacking: Perpetrators may still attempt to take control of webcams to record victims privately.

Once the material is "secured," the victim is pressured to pay a ransom (often in cryptocurrency) or provide sensitive business data. TeamPassword uses state-of-the-art encryption to ensure that even if a hacker targets your business, your credentials remain hashed, salted, and inaccessible.

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Has this happened to you or someone you know?

If you are a victim of sextortion, understand that it is not your fault. Criminal organizations are now industrialized, using AI playbooks to target thousands of people at once. There is immediate help available for your emotional state here. Here are the steps you should take:

• Don’t Panic: You are the victim of a crime. Modern technology can now detect deepfakes, and there are legal avenues to help you.
• Don’t pay: Statistics show that paying rarely stops the extortion; it only marks you as a "reliable" source of income. Once a criminal releases the images, they lose their leverage, so they often won't actually follow through if you refuse.
• Stop all communication: Block the perpetrator on all platforms. They will use every emotional tactic to break your will. Do not engage.
• Preserve Evidence: Take screenshots of the threats and the accounts used. Under the Take It Down Act (2025), there are now stricter federal penalties for distributing non-consensual AI-generated explicit imagery.
• Use Takedown Tools: If images have been posted, use services like the NCMEC’s Take It Down tool, which helps remove non-consensual intimate imagery from the internet.

How can you prevent sextortion?

Prevention in 2026 requires a "Zero Trust" approach to online interactions. To make yourself a difficult target:

• Audit Your Privacy: Set your social media profiles to private and be wary of "random" friend requests, even if they appear to have mutual friends.
• Verify Identities: If an online acquaintance asks for intimate photos or moves to a private messaging app quickly, they are likely a scammer.
• Secure Your Credentials: Use two-factor authentication (2FA) and unique, complex passwords. This prevents scammers from using your real account data to add "credibility" to their fake threats.

In a world where 90% of online content can be synthetic, protecting your digital identity is more important than ever. Let TeamPassword handle the complexity of your security so you can focus on your life and business.

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