What are the red flags of this scam?

An attractive stranger reaches out on social media or a dating app with no mutual connections or friends • They quickly move the conversation toward sharing explicit or intimate photos or video calls • The profile was created recently or has few posts, or the photos look too perfect — possibly AI-generated • They share a sexual image or video first to encourage you to reciprocate • Shortly after you share any intimate content, they demand money and show they have your friends list • They claim they will immediately share the image with your family, employer, and followers unless paid within hours

What should I do if this happened to me?

Do not pay — payment confirms you will comply and typically leads to escalating demands, not the threat disappearing • Stop all contact with the account and do not send more money or images • Screenshot the conversation and account details before blocking, then report the account to the platform (Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok) • Report to the eSafety Commissioner at https://www.esafety.gov.au/report/image-based-abuse — they can force removal of images shared without consent • Tell a trusted person — the shame the scammer relies on is the leverage; breaking the secret breaks their power • Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

HIGH romance Last reported: 24 Sept 2026 Share

A fake attractive profile online tricks you into sending intimate images — then demands money to stay silent

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. AI-generated or stolen photos are used to build fake online profiles that contact young men on social media or dating apps. Once the victim is coaxed into sharing intimate images, the scammer threatens to send them to family and friends unless paid. Organised criminal gangs run these operations at scale from overseas.

AI-generated or stolen photos are used to build fake online profiles that contact young men on social media or dating apps. Once the victim is coaxed into sharing intimate images, the scammer threatens to send them to family and friends unless paid. Organised criminal gangs run these operations at scale from overseas.

Also known as: catfishing sextortion scam Australia, image based abuse extortion Australia, Instagram sextortion Australia, romance sextortion young men, AI fake profile intimate image scam, sexual extortion scam Australia

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Do not pay — payment confirms you will comply and typically leads to escalating demands, not the threat disappearing
2 Stop all contact with the account and do not send more money or images
3 Screenshot the conversation and account details before blocking, then report the account to the platform (Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok)
4 Report to the eSafety Commissioner at https://www.esafety.gov.au/report/image-based-abuse — they can force removal of images shared without consent
5 Tell a trusted person — the shame the scammer relies on is the leverage; breaking the secret breaks their power
6 Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

Red flags

⚠ An attractive stranger reaches out on social media or a dating app with no mutual connections or friends
⚠ They quickly move the conversation toward sharing explicit or intimate photos or video calls
⚠ The profile was created recently or has few posts, or the photos look too perfect — possibly AI-generated
⚠ They share a sexual image or video first to encourage you to reciprocate
⚠ Shortly after you share any intimate content, they demand money and show they have your friends list
⚠ They claim they will immediately share the image with your family, employer, and followers unless paid within hours

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Sources