Being blackmailed or extorted? What to do first, and what an investigator can do

Short answer: if you are being blackmailed or extorted, stop engaging with the person making the threat, do not pay, keep every message and record of contact, and get help from the police and from advisers who handle these cases. Blackmail is a serious criminal offence under section 21 of the Theft Act 1968, and acting calmly and quickly gives you the most options.

Blackmail takes several forms. An individual may be threatened with the release of intimate images or private messages, often by someone they met online. A business may be told that stolen customer data will be published unless a ransom is paid. A senior executive may receive a demand tied to a damaging allegation, true or false. The pattern is the same: a threat, a deadline and pressure to keep it secret.

Do not pay and do not negotiate on your own. Payment rarely ends the matter; it shows that the threat works and often leads to further demands. Replying, pleading or arguing gives the other side more material and more confidence. If you have already paid or replied, that does not stop you getting help now.

Preserve everything. Keep messages, emails, usernames, profile links, phone numbers, payment details and any files sent to you, and take screenshots that show dates and times. Do not delete accounts or conversations, even if that feels like the way to make it stop, because that evidence is how the people behind it are traced.

Tell the right people. Report to the police; for an individual, that is the most important step, and specialist officers deal with this kind of crime. For a business facing data extortion, involve your lawyers, your insurers and your incident response team early, and consider the National Cyber Security Centre's guidance. Regulators may need to be told about a data breach whatever happens with the demand.

An investigator's role is to establish who is behind the threat and what they really hold. That can mean tracing accounts, payment routes and online identities, checking whether claimed material exists, and linking a threat to a former employee, a business rival or an organised group. Digital forensics preserves the evidence so that it can be used by the police or in court.

The findings support legal steps. Lawyers can seek injunctions to stop publication, including against persons unknown, and orders requiring platforms or service providers to disclose information. Where the person can be identified, that changes the balance of power quickly.

Lines are not crossed. Phone records, bank details and other personal data are not obtained by pretexting or by paying insiders; that is an offence under section 170 of the Data Protection Act 2018 and can undermine the case against the blackmailer.

The first conversation with Neel Chakrabarti is free and confidential. Call from a phone you are not worried about and tell us what has been threatened and how contact was made; we will tell you what we would preserve and look into first, and agree scope and fees before any work begins.

Cato & Veil practice note. General information, not legal advice. Decisions about reporting, injunctions and proceedings belong to you and your lawyers. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.