Blackmail warning signs and how to protect yourself

[martinharris]

Something strange happened to me over the weekend. Got an email from someone claiming they have embarrassing photos from my old social media accounts and threatening to share them unless I send money. I honestly don’t know if they’re bluffing or if my data was actually leaked somewhere. This is the first time I’ve ever faced anything like this, and it’s been messing with my head. How do you even begin to deal with this stuff? Any advice would be seriously appreciated.

[ricerick]

Years back, a friend of mine ran into a similar situation—turned out the attacker didn’t have anything real but used fear to manipulate. Since then, I’ve helped a few people navigate this. First rule: never engage or pay them. Document everything and report the messages to the platform. You should also check out this resource: https://www.technology.org/2025/05/14/pr...net-users/. It breaks down specific steps you can take, from improving privacy settings to knowing when to involve authorities. It’s thorough and updated—definitely worth a read.

[jinwatkins]

Following this thread with interest—online threats like these seem to be getting more common, and knowing how to handle them is super important. That guide mentioned sounds helpful too. Just good to see people opening up and supporting each other around these tough issues.