Naked chat blackmail: what to do and how we remove any leak

The first hour

1. Stop replying and do not pay. Payment rarely ends the demands; it usually confirms you will pay again.
2. Keep the evidence: screenshots of the profile, the chat, the payment details they gave and any link they sent. Note the account names and the time of each message.
3. Check your phone. If they asked you to install an app “to fix the sound” or for a better connection, remove it and change your passwords: such apps can copy your contact list.
4. Call the Anti-Scam Helpline 18222 (24 hours) or report to the police at a station or through the e-Report Centre. If you are in danger or the victim is a minor, call 999.
5. Then block the account on every app and set your friends list and followers to private.

How common it is in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Police recorded 1,312 naked chat blackmail cases in 2025, down 46.1% on the year before, but students made up 27.4% of victims, up from 18.7% (HK Police, Law and order situation 2025). In a single month of 2026 there were 156 reports and more than HK$3.4 million lost, with victims as young as 14 (The Standard, March 2026).

The approach is the same almost every time: a friendly profile on Instagram, Facebook, a dating app or a game, a fast move to video, a recording, then a threat to send it to your contacts, your school or your employer. You are the victim of a crime; there is nothing to be ashamed of in asking for help.

What the law says

In Hong Kong, threatening to publish an intimate image without consent is itself an offence under s.159AAE of the Crimes Ordinance, punishable by up to 5 years’ imprisonment, even if nothing is ever posted. Demanding money with threats is also a crime. Police handle both. Reports are made by you; we can put your screenshots and links into a clear, dated evidence pack beforehand.

NetClearer is not a law firm and does not negotiate with blackmailers. Our role starts when something is, or may be, published.

Where we come in

• Watching for a leak: we check the adult sites popular in Hong Kong, Telegram channels and the platforms the blackmailer named, using the details you give us.
• Removing what appears: if the video is posted, we file the takedown on each site under its non-consent rules and ask Google to de-index every result.
• Reporting the accounts: the blackmailer’s profiles on Instagram, Facebook or Tinder are reported for sextortion, which every major platform forbids.
• Blocking future uploads: we explain how to use StopNCII.org yourself (18+), so partner sites recognise the file if it is ever uploaded. The image never leaves your device.

If the video has already been sent to people you know

Blackmailers sometimes send a clip to a few contacts to raise the pressure. A message in a private chat cannot be pulled back by anyone, us included. What we can do is make sure it does not become public: we report any post, comment or channel that carries it, and the Google results that follow. If friends or colleagues forward it, they risk committing an offence themselves; a short, calm message asking them to delete it usually works better than silence.

Honest limits

• We cannot trace or identify the blackmailer, recover money paid or stop the messages. Those belong to the police and the ADCC.
• Content inside private chats or closed groups is outside every platform’s reporting tools.
• We cannot promise a site will act; we promise to file, follow up and tell you each answer in writing.

Price

Removal costs HK$255 per link, or HK$608 for three. If you want copies checked for over time, the 20-link pack (HK$3,074) includes monitoring for re-uploads, and monthly plans start at HK$696. Fixed price, no extra fees, paid by card through Stripe. Details on our prices page.