Helping someone

When someone you love is being scammed, how you help matters as much as what you do.

What works

Start with kindness
Shame stops people asking for help. Say: “This is not your fault. These are professional criminals.”¹
Ask, don’t argue
“Have you met them on a live video? Have they asked for money? What happens if you say no?”
Protect the money
With their agreement, call their bank together. Ask about lower limits and alerts.²
Keep evidence and report
Save messages and payment details. Many services accept reports from family members.³
Don’t chase the scammers
Tracing or confronting them rarely works, can break the law, and can put your loved one at more risk. Give the evidence to the police.⁴

Stay calm and thank them for telling you. The first thing they need to hear: “You are not in trouble, and you are not alone.”⁵
Don’t blame them, even if they made a choice they regret. The blackmailer is the one committing a crime.⁵
Help them stop replying, keep the evidence (screenshots of the messages, never of the images) and not pay. Then follow the steps together.⁵⁶
Sextortion can make people feel desperate. In the US, NCMEC knows of at least 36 teenage boys who have died by suicide after being targeted, since 2021. If you are worried about their safety, stay with them and call a crisis line together.⁷

Worried about their safety right now? Crisis lines, free and confidential:

Country: United Kingdom

NSPCC Helpline
For adults worried about a child: advice from child-protection specialists.
Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm.
Call 0808 800 5000[email protected]
Source: NSPCC (UK). Checked September 2026.

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159
Stop, hang up, call 159. It connects you safely to your bank’s fraud team.
Call 159
Source: Stop Scams UK. Checked September 2026.
Report Fraud
The national police service to report fraud and cyber crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It replaced Action Fraud in December 2025.
Online 24/7.
Call 0300 123 2040Open website
Source: Report Fraud, City of London Police (UK). Checked September 2026.
Police Scotland
In Scotland, report fraud to Police Scotland.
Call 101
Source: Report Fraud, City of London Police (UK). Checked September 2026.

Official sourceINTERPOL urges end to ‘Pig Butchering’ term, cites harm to online victimsINTERPOL, 2024-12-17. Accessed September 24, 2026.
Official sourceWhat to do if you’ve been scammedScamwatch, National Anti-Scam Centre, ACCC (Australia). Accessed September 24, 2026.
Official sourceNational Elder Fraud HotlineOffice for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice. Accessed September 24, 2026.
Official sourceNewly released 2025 annual IC3 report: what to document when you reportFBI Columbia Field Office (USA), 2026-04-20. Accessed September 24, 2026.
Charity or child-protection bodySextortion: what to doNational Center for Missing & Exploited Children (USA). Accessed September 24, 2026.
Charity or child-protection bodySextorsion : service de signalement et de conseil (gratuit, anonyme), aussi pour les parentsclickandstop.ch (Kinderschutz Schweiz, Guido Fluri Stiftung). Accessed September 24, 2026.
Charity or child-protection bodyNCMEC Releases New Data: 2024 in Numbers (nearly 100 reports of financial sextortion a day)National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (USA), 2025. Accessed September 24, 2026.