X, formerly and more well-known as Twitter, has become the go-to platform for many people to stay up to date with the latest trends in pop culture, sports, and even political news. The ability to easily share content, both in posts and direct messages, makes it a superior site for distributing information.
These same features have led to sextortion becoming a predominant issue on Twitter in recent years. Between December 2024 and January 2025, 5% of sextortion cases reported to Digital Forensics Corp. that originated from a social application were linked to Twitter.
While this may be an unnerving revelation, users should know that there are ways to increase their security on the platform. It is important to educate yourself on the potential dangers, preventative measures, and resources available to help combat sextortion on Twitter.
Why Twitter is a Target for Sextortion Scams.
There are a multitude of factors which have led sextortionists to use Twitter to conduct their crimes. Its roughly 611 million monthly users(1) provide a large pool of potential targets. Additionally, content on the site has seen lowered restrictions with its recent push for ‘free speech absolutism’(2).
Twitter began allowing the sharing of consensual adult content in May of 2024(3). While NCII distribution still violates the platform’s terms of service, the ability to post such material alone opens the door for sextortion.
Furthermore, Twitter’s 2023 verification update allowed users to purchase a blue verification checkmark through Twitter Blue(4). This makes distinguishing real and impersonation accounts tremendously difficult, increasing the ease of conducting romance scams.
While these schemes can target anyone, users who are most likely to be affected are influencers, teenagers, and anybody with a public profile and direct messages available from anybody. It is important for users in these demographics to understand how these ploys work.
What A Sextortion Scam on Twitter Looks Like.
Sextortion on Twitter typically occurs through direct messaging. A profile may catfish you as a potential romantic interest and send you a follow request or even direct message you without following if you have that feature turned on.
The conversation may begin with innocent flirting before becoming heavily sexual with the perpetrator asking you to send them intimate content. Once you’ve relinquished this media, you’ll be met with threats of leaking it to personal connections if you don’t meet their demands.
The blackmailer may directly request payment or send you phishing links to fraudulent payment websites that can expose you to malware.
Immediate Steps to Take If You’re a Victim of Twitter Sextortion.
Twitter sextortion is a scary situation that is only compounded if you ignore it. You need to act swiftly, but following the proper course of action is crucial.
- Do not engage: Cease conversation with the perpetrator, but do not block them until a proper investigation has been conducted.
- Document the Threats: Accounts, posts, and direct messages can all be used as evidence. You can learn more in our article on collecting evidence of cyber abuse.
- Contact Law Enforcement: Filing a police report can halt your harasser or provide essential documentation for future proceedings.
- Report to Twitter System Administrators: This can have harmful accounts and content removed from the platform.
- Seek Additional Help: If the previous two steps haven’t resolved the matter, you should seek the assistance of outside resources like a cyber security organization.
How to Protect Yourself on Twitter.
The best way to fend off sextortion on any dating app or social media platform is taking preventative measures. You can increase your Twitter security by employing the following practices:
- Make Your Account Private: Increasing your privacy settings and disabling unauthorized direct messages can prevent sextortionists from reaching you.
- Tweet With Caution: Avoid oversharing information that can enable a cybercriminal to attack you.
- Avoid Suspicious DMs: If a message sent to you seems a little too good to be true, trust your gut and do not interact with it.
- Be Careful Who You Trust: Anybody can present themselves however they want online. Don’t engage accounts whose identities you can’t confirm.
Why You Should Seek Professional Help.
Cyber Security professionals can help you regain control of the situation. Their experience can help you track down the perpetrator and remove your content from their possession. They can also find security vulnerabilities and help prevent future attacks.
How Does Twitter Help Sextortion Victims.
Twitter’s current policies prohibit posts which, among other things, involve sharing content which can be used in sextortion scams. The following policies address users engaging in such activities:
- Abuse and Harassment: Content posted with the intent to humiliate or degrade an individual(5).
- Non-consensual Nudity: Sharing explicit media, both legitimate and manufactured, that was taken or posted without consent of the individual being depicted(6).
- Minor Safety: Any content depicting sexual or physical abuse or that contributes to physical or psychological harm of individuals under 18(7).
- Private Information: Posts that threaten, encourage, or actually release personal data without consent from the owner(8).
- Authenticity: Catfishing schemes such as fake personas and identity theft. This policy also forbids romance scams, phishing, and other ploys that can be used to extort users or gain access to private information that can be used as blackmail leverage(9).
While these policies are in place, their enforcement can be inconsistent and requires manual reporting and review of the content for violations to be removed. This can delay and sometimes prevent altogether the removal of posts and accounts that participate in sextortion.
Get Help Today.
Digital Forensics Corp is here to help you with Twitter sextortion and any cybercrime you may be facing. We are constantly progressing our cybersecurity techniques such as IP tracking and metadata analysis, allowing us to unveil cybercriminals around the world.
Contact our Sextortion Helpline today for a consultation with one of our specialists.
Sources:
- Biggest social media platforms by users 2024 | Statista
- Elon Musk calls himself a free speech absolutist. What could Twitter look like under his leadership? : NPR
- Adult Content Policy
- X Verification requirements – how to get the blue check
- How X handles abuse and harassment | X Help
- X’s non-consensual nudity policy | X Help
- Our policy on child sexual exploitation | X Help
- X’s private information policy and doxxing | X Help
- Authenticity | X Help
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY SUBJECT MATTER. DIGITAL FORENSICS CORP. IS NOT A LAWFIRM AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE OR SERVICES. By viewing posts, the reader understands there is no attorney-client relationship, the post should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney, and readers are urged to consult their own legal counsel on any specific legal questions concerning a specific situation.
