Cam scams and sextortion: warning signs and what to do

The scams to know about

Almost every scam connected to cam sites follows the same pattern: move you away from the site, gain your trust or embarrass you, then ask for money. Knowing the common versions makes them easy to spot.

Sextortion

Someone persuades you to video chat or share images, usually on a messaging or video app rather than the cam site. They record it, then threaten to send the recording to your friends, family or employer unless you pay. They may also look up your social media contacts to make the threat feel real.

The FBI warns that cooperating rarely stops the blackmail. Paying tends to lead to further demands, not an end to them.

Fake performers and off-site "shows"

A profile claims to be a performer and invites you to a private show somewhere else, often for a "special price" paid by gift card, cryptocurrency or a money transfer app. The show never happens, or it is the start of a sextortion attempt.

Genuine performers on a cam site are paid through the site. Anyone asking you to pay them another way should be treated as a scam.

Fake token offers and "free unlocks"

Websites, apps and messages that offer discounted or unlimited tokens, or claim to unlock private shows, are after your login, your card details or access to your device. Tokens are only ever sold on the site's own purchase page.

Relationship scams

Some scams take longer. Someone you meet in a chat, sometimes claiming to be a performer, builds a friendly or romantic connection over days or weeks, then has a sudden problem: a bill, a travel cost, a frozen account. The request for money is the point of the whole relationship. However genuine the connection feels, do not send money to someone you know only online.

Phishing

Emails or messages that look like they come from the cam site, asking you to log in through a link, confirm your payment details or verify your account urgently. Go to the site directly instead of following the link. Pop-ups claiming your device is infected, and emails claiming someone filmed you, are a separate trick covered in fake virus warnings and blackmail emails.

Warning signs

The US Federal Trade Commission puts the gift card point plainly: no real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.

What to do if you are threatened

1. Do not pay Paying rarely stops the threats and often leads to more demands.
2. Stop replying Do not negotiate, argue or send anything else.
3. Save the evidence Screenshot the messages, the account name and any payment details they sent.
4. Block and report the account Use the reporting tools on the app or site where the contact happened.
5. Report it to the police In the US, report to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI. Elsewhere, contact your local police.
6. Get images taken down StopNCII.org helps adults stop intimate images being shared on participating platforms.

StopNCII.org works without you sending the image to anyone. It creates a digital fingerprint, called a hash, on your own device and shares only that with participating platforms, which then look for and remove matching images. It can only act on platforms that take part in the scheme, so it is one tool among several rather than a complete fix.

The FBI also warns against for-profit companies that charge victims to make sextortion go away. Reporting to the police and using StopNCII.org costs nothing.

If you already paid

You are not alone, and it is still worth acting. Report the payment to the company you paid through (your bank, card provider or the gift card company) straight away, because some are able to stop or recover payments. In the US, the FTC also asks people to report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Then follow the steps above. Keep receipts and transaction references, because they help both the payment company and the police.

Protecting yourself in advance

Most of these scams depend on details you can keep to yourself:

• keep chats and shows on the cam site itself;
• use a separate username and email address for cam sites;
• keep your real name, contacts and social media private;
• if you use cam2cam, keep your face and background out of shot unless you are certain.
• be suspicious of friendly contact that arrives out of the blue soon after you join a site.

Our guides to keeping your cam account private and cam2cam cover these steps in detail, and cam room etiquette explains why genuine performers do not ask for off-site contact.

Reporting a problem on GoGirlCam

If you see something on GoGirlCam that looks unsafe, misleading or unlawful, please tell us. For more safety guides, see our safety and privacy section.