Video-call blackmail scam

How it works

A stranger video-calls, a recording of the call is edited to look compromising, and you are threatened with sending it to your contacts unless you pay.

Red flags

• !A video call from someone you do not know, often soon after a friend request.
• !A demand for money within minutes of the call ending.
• !A screenshot of your contacts or followers list sent as a threat.
• !A second caller claiming to be police or a platform official offering to delete the video for a fee.

Example

Paying does not end it. People who pay are asked again, usually for more.

This is an illustration of the pattern, not a copy of a real message. Real ones vary in wording.

What to do

1. 01Do not pay. Payment leads to further demands.
2. 02Stop replying, but do not delete the chat. Take screenshots of the threats and the account.
3. 03Block the account and report it to the platform.
4. 04Report it on the cyber crime portal or at a police station. You are the victim of a crime.
5. 05Tell someone you trust. This is common, and it is much harder to carry alone.

Where to report

• Call 1930

  The national cyber-fraud helpline. If money has left your account, call straight away — the sooner it is reported, the better the chance of the money being frozen.

  Call 1930

• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal

  File a complaint online at cybercrime.gov.in. Keep the acknowledgement number it gives you.

  Open cybercrime.gov.in

• Sanchar Saathi (Chakshu)

  Report the suspicious call, SMS or WhatsApp number to the Department of Telecommunications, even if you lost nothing.

  Open sancharsaathi.gov.in