Sextortion Attempt Neutralized Before a Single Image Was Published.
The client was targeted by a sophisticated sextortion scheme threatening to send fabricated intimate images to business contacts, family, and review platforms unless a $15,000 ransom was paid.
What Was Happening
The client — owner of three restaurant locations — received an email with AI-generated intimate images that appeared to depict them, along with a threat to distribute the images to their business partners, Yelp page, Google Business listing, family members, and local media unless $15,000 in cryptocurrency was paid within 48 hours. The images were convincing deepfakes. The client panicked and was considering paying. A friend referred them to us. We had less than 36 hours before the stated deadline.
How We Got It Done
Immediate threat neutralization through platform pre-flagging, proactive content monitoring, and law enforcement coordination — all before the deadline expired.
Emergency Assessment
Analyzed the threat email headers, payment wallet, and image metadata within 1 hour of intake. Identified patterns consistent with a known sextortion ring operating out of West Africa.
Platform Pre-Flagging
Proactively contacted Google, Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, and 8 other platforms with non-consensual intimate image (NCII) pre-reports. This ensures any uploads are automatically flagged and blocked before they go live.
Image Hash Registration
Registered perceptual hashes of the deepfake images with StopNCII.org and platform-specific databases. This creates a digital fingerprint that prevents the images from being uploaded across participating platforms.
Law Enforcement Coordination
Filed reports with the FBI's IC3, local police cybercrime unit, and the platform trust teams. Provided the cryptocurrency wallet address for tracking.
Client Communication Lockdown
Advised the client on communication protocols — no engagement with the extortionist, email filtering rules, and a prepared statement in case any content leaked (none did).
30-Day Active Monitoring
Monitored all flagged platforms, reverse image search results, and dark web forums for 30 days post-deadline. No images were ever published. The extortionist moved on.
What Changed
Before & After
Sextortion threat completely neutralized. No images were ever published. No ransom paid. Zero business disruption.
I was 12 hours from wiring $15,000 to a stranger. MyTakedown stepped in, locked everything down, and the threat just... evaporated. They saved me from a nightmare that could have destroyed my business and my family.
How We Made It Happen
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