WhatsApp Scam Reports

# Extortion / Threats

## What is an Extortion / Threats scam?

A contact threatens to leak your private chats, business data, or contact list, or threatens you or your family with violence or false criminal charges, unless you pay immediately — with no intimate images involved, unlike sextortion.

## Red flags to watch for

- A threat to leak your chats, contacts, photos, or business/financial data unless you pay — with no intimate content involved.
- They claim to have hacked your device or account, sometimes showing a partial or faked screenshot as "proof."
- A demand for money to prevent violence, an arrest, or a fabricated criminal charge against you or a family member.
- Pressure to stay silent and not involve police, family, or the platform, and to pay within a short deadline.

## What to do

Don't pay and don't negotiate -- paying confirms you will pay again. Stop responding, screenshot everything as evidence, and report the account to the platform and to your local police. If they claim to have hacked an account of yours, change that password immediately and check its recent login activity.

## How common this is, officially

> IC3's "Extortion" category received 89,129 complaints in 2025, with reported losses of $122 million.

— FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, [2025 Internet Crime Report](https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf)

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## Frequently asked questions

### How is a scam type determined for a report?

The reporter selects it when filing, from a fixed list of common patterns -- not inferred automatically from the notes.

### What if a report matches more than one pattern?

Reporters pick the single closest match. Read the notes on each report for the full description, which often blends more than one tactic.

### How often is this page updated?

Immediately — every count here reflects the reports on file in real time, not a periodic snapshot.

## Report this to official agencies

This case file is a self-reported community record, not an official investigation. If you were targeted, consider also filing a report with a national or international fraud authority:

- [FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)](https://www.ic3.gov) United States
- [Federal Trade Commission (FTC)](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov) United States
- [Action Fraud](https://www.actionfraud.police.uk) United Kingdom
- [Scamwatch (ACCC)](https://www.scamwatch.gov.au) Australia
- [Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca) Canada
- [CERT NZ](https://www.cert.govt.nz) New Zealand
- [National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal](https://cybercrime.gov.in) India
- [ScamShield](https://www.scamshield.gov.sg) Singapore
- [Anti-Deception Coordination Centre](https://www.cyberdefender.hk) Hong Kong
- [Europol](https://www.europol.europa.eu) European Union
- [INTERPOL](https://www.interpol.int) Global
- [econsumer.gov (ICPEN)](https://www.econsumer.gov) Cross-border complaints

## Been targeted by a scammer?

File a report with the number, name, and what happened — it's published immediately and warns the next person who searches.

[Report a scammer](https://scammercasefile.com/report)