1
Lock down your accounts immediately
Do this on every account that matters — start with the ones most at risk.
- Change your password on email, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, and any other account that may be compromised. Use a new password you've never used anywhere else.
- Enable 2-step verification on all accounts (see Step 4 below). This stops anyone who already has your password from logging in.
- Check and remove recovery info you didn't add: Google → myaccount.google.com → Security → "Ways we can verify it's you". Remove any phone number or email you don't recognise.
- Revoke all active sessions — see Step 3 below to kick everyone else out of your accounts.
✅ Priority order: Email account first (everything else can be reset through
email), then Instagram, then WhatsApp, then banking apps.
2
Preserve evidence — before anything else
🚨 Do NOT delete messages, posts, or images yet. Once
deleted, evidence is gone — and you need it for a police report or platform takedown request.
Document everything first:
- Screenshot every threatening message with the sender's name and the date/time visible in the same frame
- Note down URLs of any content posted about you (copy the full web address)
- Screenshot the profile of the person threatening you — including their username, bio, and any public posts about you
- Write down what happened in a note or on paper — dates, what was said, what was sent — while it's fresh in your memory
- Save screenshots to a private cloud account (a Google Drive or iCloud account the other person does not have access to)
✅ See our Evidence Vault guide for a full
"what to screenshot" checklist and how to store evidence properly.
3
Revoke all active sessions and logins
If someone has accessed your account, they may still be logged in on their device. Kick them out:
- Google: myaccount.google.com → Security → "Your devices" → remove any device you don't recognise → then "Recent security activity" to review.
- Instagram: Settings → Security → Login Activity → tap any session you don't recognise → "Log out".
- WhatsApp: Settings → Linked Devices → tap and remove any device you didn't add.
- Facebook: Settings → Security and Login → "Where you're logged in" → log out of all unknown sessions.
- Snapchat: Profile → Settings → Privacy Controls → "Manage" next to Sessions → remove unknowns.
⚠️ After revoking sessions, immediately change your
password on that account so they can't log back in.
4
Enable 2FA on every account right now
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) means even with your password, no one can log in without a code only you receive.
- Google: myaccount.google.com → Security → 2-Step Verification → Turn On
- Instagram: Profile → ☰ → Settings → Security → Two-Factor Authentication → Turn On
- WhatsApp: Settings → Account → Two-step verification → Enable → set a 6-digit PIN
- Facebook: Settings → Security and Login → Two-Factor Authentication → Edit → Turn On
- Snapchat: Profile → ⚙️ → Two-Factor Authentication → Continue → SMS or Authenticator App
✅ Use an authenticator app (Google Authenticator or Authy) instead of SMS if
possible — SMS codes can be intercepted via SIM swap.
5
If it's sextortion: do NOT pay or negotiate
🚨 Paying does not work. Every sextortionist who receives
money demands more. Payment proves you will pay — and makes the abuse worse.
If someone is threatening to share your intimate images unless you pay or do something:
- Do not send money. Not even a small amount "to test".
- Do not send more images or videos — this only gives them more power over you.
- Do not meet them anywhere.
- Block them on all platforms after you've preserved evidence (screenshots of their messages).
- Report to cybercrime.gov.in — this is a criminal offence under the IT Act and IPC.
- Contact iCall (9152987821) — free mental health support for exactly this situation.
✅ Their threats sound powerful because they want you to feel powerless. Police
and platforms take these reports seriously — especially when you have screenshots.
6
Report URLs — get content taken down fast
Platforms are legally required to remove non-consensual intimate images quickly. Copy the URL of the content first, then:
- Instagram: Tap the three dots (⋯) on the post → Report → It's inappropriate → Nudity or sexual activity. Also use Instagram's dedicated non-consensual intimacy form.
- Facebook: Three dots → Report → Sexual content → Involuntary intimate imagery.
- X/Twitter: Three dots → Report post → It's abusive or harmful → Non-consensual nudity.
- Google (remove from search): Use Google's removal request tool to de-index content.
- National Cyber Crime Portal: cybercrime.gov.in — report anonymously for sexual content, no name needed.
- Takedown Resource Kit: Use the Takedown Resource Kit to find direct reporting forms for all other major platforms.
✅ Save the acknowledgement number from every report you file — you'll need it to
follow up.
7
Tell one trusted person
You do not have to handle this alone — and trying to do it alone makes everything harder.
- Choose one person you trust — a close friend, sister, teacher, counsellor — and tell them what's happening
- You don't need to share every detail. Just: "I'm dealing with a serious online harassment situation and I need support"
- Ask them to not share what you've told them with others while you're dealing with it
- If you're not ready to tell anyone in your life, call the Women's Helpline: 181 — they are trained for exactly this and keep it confidential
- If you're a student, your college counsellor or Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) is bound by confidentiality
✅ Isolation is what harassers count on. Telling someone — even just one person —
breaks that isolation and gives you a witness and supporter.
8
File a complaint — cybercrime.gov.in
Filing a report creates an official record and puts pressure on platforms. You can do this from your phone.
- Go to cybercrime.gov.in
- For intimate image abuse: click "Report Anonymous" — no name required
- For threats, stalking, or blackmail: click "Report Other Cyber Crime" and register/login
- Upload your screenshots as evidence, fill in the details, and submit
- Note your acknowledgement number — save it somewhere safe
✅ You can also call 1930 — India's National Cyber Crime
Helpline — for immediate guidance on reporting.
💜 Emotional survival — what to expect
What you're feeling right now is a normal response to an abnormal situation. Here's what helps — and what doesn't.
- Panic is normal. Your body is responding to a real threat. It will pass. Focus on one step at a time.
- Don't search for the leaked content compulsively. Each time you find it, the emotional damage compounds. Let a trusted person help monitor this if necessary.
- Don't respond impulsively to the harasser — not to defend yourself, not to plead, not to threaten. Everything you write can be used against you or used to escalate.
- Document before you delete. The urge to delete everything is understandable but harmful to your case.
- This has happened to many people — including those far more powerful, public, and resourced than the person threatening you. It is survivable. People do get through this.
- You did not cause this by having a private life, trusting someone, or making choices about your own body. The responsibility is entirely with the person who violated your trust.
📞 iCall (TISS): 9152987821 — Free
psychological counselling, Mon–Sat 8am–10pm. Trained in tech-facilitated abuse. Confidential.
→
Emergency contacts & resources
Women's Helpline
24/7 emergency support for women facing threats, harassment, or violence anywhere in India.
📞 181 (Free, 24/7)Police / All Emergencies
Immediate emergency response — for physical threats, stalking, or danger.
📞 100 / 112Cyber Crime Helpline
India's national cyber crime helpline for guidance on reporting online abuse.
📞 1930iCall — Mental Health
Free counselling for those dealing with harassment or abuse trauma. Mon–Sat, 8am–10pm.
📞 9152987821Cybercrime Portal
File a report 24/7 — anonymously for image abuse. Official Indian government portal.
🌐 cybercrime.gov.inNCW Complaint
National Commission for Women — online complaint system for violence and harassment.
File Online →Takedown Resource Kit
Find direct reporting and takedown forms for all major platforms in one place.
Access Kit →