Honey trap and sextortion
If someone is blackmailing you with photos, videos or recordings
First: this is not your fault.
- These schemes are planned, and they are run on many people at once.
- It can happen to anyone, whatever their gender, age or job. Police in Telangana note that educated professionals, including software workers, are among those targeted.
- The person making the threats is the one committing the crime.
Source: Deccan Chronicle, 4 October 2026
What it is
What is a honey trap?
“Honey trap” is the name used by Indian police and news reports for a lure followed by blackmail. Someone uses a fake profile, attractive photos and emotional closeness to gain trust. They draw the person into sharing intimate content, or into a recorded call, and then use it to threaten and demand money. The wider word is sextortion. It is closely related to the romance-scam pattern, and it is the end of the road that some romance scams reach.
How it happens
Four patterns police have described
A fake profile and a quick, close chat.
An unknown account approaches you, builds closeness fast, and soon asks to move to WhatsApp. Then comes a request for private photos or a nude video call. Telangana Police list this sequence as the warning pattern.
Source: The420.in, 5 October 2026
A fake dating or video-calling app, promoted in ads.
Hyderabad's Police Commissioner warned of apps advertised on social media with AI-generated videos. Once installed, an app can reach your contacts and photos. During a video call, the other side records you, edits the recording, and threatens to send it to your family and friends.
Sources: Telangana Today, 17 March 2026; Deccan Chronicle, 18 March 2026
An invitation, then hidden recording.
In a case reported by Karimnagar Police, a couple allegedly used social media to build casual contact, invited people to their home, recorded the meetings in secret, and then demanded money. These are police allegations, not court findings.
Then the demands.
Whatever the start, the next step is the same: pay, or the material is shared. Paying rarely ends it, and the demands usually grow. Police note that many people, afraid of embarrassment, pay large sums.
Source: Telangana Today, 17 March 2026
What the numbers show
How often it is reported
Hyderabad’s annual crime report for 2025 recorded 10 honey-trap or sextortion cases in the city, with victims losing ₹52.49 lakh. That is only what was registered. Police warn that these scams are spreading through fake dating and video-calling apps, and that many people, afraid of embarrassment, stay silent or pay.
Sources: Siasat Daily, 27 December 2025; Telangana Today, 17 March 2026
Right now
What to do
Do not pay, and do not send anything more.
A first payment is rarely the last. The demands usually grow.
Stop replying and stop the video calls.
You do not owe an explanation. Silence is allowed.
Keep the evidence.
Take screenshots of the profile, the messages, the threats and any payment details before you block anyone. Do not delete the chat yet.
Report it.
In India, call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in, and tell your local police. Telangana Police ask people to report instead of staying silent out of fear or embarrassment. Elsewhere, see the contacts below.
Tell one person you trust.
Shame is what the blackmailer is counting on. Telling someone is the single most useful step.
Get images removed where a tool exists.
See the tools below. They work on the images you have, before they spread.
If you installed an app you do not recognise
Uninstall it, remove any permissions it was given, and change the passwords on your main accounts. This is general safety advice, and it is sensible because police warn that such apps can reach contacts and photos.
Getting images removed
Tools that can help
If you are 18 or over: StopNCII.org
A free tool. It makes a digital fingerprint of your image on your own device, and only the fingerprint is shared with participating platforms so they can detect and remove matching copies.
Go to StopNCII.orgSource: StopNCII.org, Current
If the images were taken when you were under 18: Take It Down
A free tool run by NCMEC. The image stays on your device, and a digital code is shared with participating platforms. See the page for young people.
Go to Take It DownThese tools only work with platforms that have joined, so reporting the account and the content to the app or website itself also helps.
Before it happens
How to protect yourself
- Do not install unfamiliar dating or video-calling apps, especially ones that reach you through ads.
- Be careful with ads that appear late at night, and with unknown profiles offering instant chat.
- Do not accept video calls from unknown numbers or profiles.
- Do not share intimate photos or videos with someone you have not met and verified.
- Treat quick intimacy plus a move to WhatsApp plus a request for private photos as the warning pattern.
- If it starts, stop. You can leave at any point, and telling someone early is the strongest protection.
Sources: Telangana Today, 17 March 2026; The420.in, 5 October 2026
Who to contact
Where you are
India
Call 1930, the National Cyber Crime Helpline
If money has gone, call 1930 straight away. Fast reporting gives the best chance of the money being frozen before it moves on.
Call 1930Take It Down
takeitdown.ncmec.org, for images taken when you were under 18. Your image stays on your device; only a digital fingerprint is shared with platforms.
Report at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930
Sextortion is a crime. You can report it.
Tele-MANAS: 14416
Free, 24 hours, mental health support from the Government of India, in many languages. Also 1-800-891-4416.
Australia
Call your bank now
Use the number on your card or in your banking app. Ask them to stop or recall the payment. Then report at ReportCyber and Scamwatch.
eSafety Commissioner
esafety.gov.au, to report image-based abuse and get images removed.
Take It Down
takeitdown.ncmec.org, for images taken when you were under 18. Your image stays on your device.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Crisis support, 24 hours, 7 days.
United Kingdom
Call 159 to reach your bank
159 connects you securely to your bank's fraud team. If money has gone, call now. Then report to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) on 0300 123 2040.
Call 159Report Remove (Childline and IWF)
For under 18s: report a nude image of yourself so it can be removed. You don't have to give your real name.
Take It Down
takeitdown.ncmec.org, for images taken when you were under 18. Your image stays on your device.
Samaritans: 116 123
Free, 24 hours a day, from any phone. The call does not appear on your bill.
Anywhere else
Contact your bank or payment provider now
Use the number on your card or in your bank's official app. Ask them to stop or recall the payment and to secure your account. Then report it to your national police or cybercrime reporting service.
Take It Down
takeitdown.ncmec.org, for images taken when you were under 18, from anywhere in the world. Your image stays on your device; only a digital fingerprint is shared with platforms.
Report to the platform and your local police
Sextortion is a crime in most countries. Keep screenshots of the threats.
Find A Helpline
findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines in many countries.
Your local emergency number
If you are in immediate danger, call it now.
If you are in danger, or thinking about harming yourself, call your local emergency number right now.