Feeling scam: scam, blackmail, sextortion

Verified 10 November 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

Someone you met on the internet and with whom you have a friendly or romantic relationship asks you for money by claiming an urgent motive or threatening you? It may be a scam with feelings. If you are a victim of such acts, you have the opportunity to report them and obtain compensation from your injury. We present you the steps to follow.

Feeling scam can take many forms:

  • The scam of feelings is a offense which materializes in lies, threats or blackmail in order to extract money from you.
  • The offense of sextortion is characterized by the fact that a person threatens to publish sexual content that concerns you, to get something in return (money, photos, etc.).

Feeling scam

Step-by-step approach

The scam of feelings is a offense by which a malicious individual approaches you, usually on a online communication service, and expresses loving or friendly feelings in order to extract money from you.

The person can use 2 methods:

  • Once the relationship of trust is established, she asks you to pay her money on the pretext of urgent reasons (example: big financial or medical problems).
  • If you refuse to pay, she may also blackmail you, including by threatening to disclose information, photos or videos that may damage your honor.

Please note

In general, this type of scam is committed only on the internet or by telephone. The perpetrator of the scam always finds pretexts to avoid any physical encounter.

If you are a victim of a scam of feelings, you must collect as much evidence as possible against the perpetrator of these acts.

These may include:

  • The phone number of the perpetrator
  • Screenshots of the exchanges on the internet
  • Text messages you received
  • Recordings of telephone conversations or videoconferencing.

These elements are essential if you report the scam of feelings or if you file a complaint against the perpetrator.

Warning  

As much as possible, it is necessary to have dated proofs (example: messages with time and date).

The purpose of the sentiment scam is to deceive you into getting money from you or your banking information.

If they have some of this information, you should contact your bank to object, dispute transactions and obtain a refund.

How this is done depends on the information provided to the perpetrator:

If you are the victim of a scam or attempt from scam to feelings, you can file a complaint against the perpetrator of the facts.

The time limit for filing a complaint is 6 years from:

  • The commission of the facts if no remittance of money took place
  • The last discount in case of payment of sums of money.

The filing of a complaint can be made online if the following two conditions are met:

  • The relationship remained virtual. You haven't met the perpetrator
  • A request for money was made. He is not it is not necessary that a payment and/or collection has taken place.

If these two conditions are not met (for example: you have met the perpetrator), you can file a complaint by going to the police station or the gendarmerie brigade of your choice.

You also have the opportunity to file a complaint by writing to public prosecutor.

FYI  

If you do not know the identity of the perpetrator, you can file a complaint against X.

Online

The process for filing a complaint online is not the same depending on the type of scam you have experienced:

Feelings scam without blackmail online

If you are a victim of a scam of feelings, you can file a complaint online from the platform THESEUS: titleContent :

Complaining about a scam of feelings (THESEE)

FYI  

If you are a minor, you cannot file a complaint on THESEUS: titleContent. You can only report.

As soon as your complaint is validated by the professionals of the THESEE platform, you will receive an information notice in your personal space « Service-Public.fr ».

This notice allows you to obtain information on the follow-up given to your complaint, the assistance you can benefit from (example: assistance from a lawyer) and the means of obtaining compensation.

You are also informed in the event of identification and questioning of the perpetrator.

Sentiment scam with online blackmail

If the scam was accompanied by a online blackmail, you must use the following online service:

Complaining about a scam of feelings with online blackmail (THESEE)

FYI  

If you are a minor, you cannot file a complaint on THESEUS: titleContent. It can only issue an alert.

As soon as your complaint is validated by the professionals of the THESEE platform, you will receive an information notice in your personal space « Service-Public.fr ».

This notice allows you to obtain information on the follow-up given to your complaint, the assistance you can benefit from (example: assistance from a lawyer) and the means of obtaining compensation.

You are also informed in the event of identification and questioning of the perpetrator.

On site

To file a complaint, you have to go to a police station or to the gendarme of your choice.

Who shall I contact

Police or gendarmerie services are obliged to register your complaint if you are a victim of a offense.

When filing a complaint, you are received and heard by the police or gendarmerie. At the end of this interview, you receive a receipt and a copy of your complaint if you request it.

Please note

If you are a minor, you can report the facts at the police station or gendarmerie brigade of your choice. If you wish to obtain compensation, you must obligatory be accompanied by your legal representatives (e.g. your parents) who shall constitute a civil party in your place.

By post

You can file a complaint with the public prosecutor.

To do this, you need to send a letter to court of the place of the offense or of the domicile of the offender.

Your mail should include the following:

  • Your marital status and full contact details (address and telephone number)
  • Detailed account of the facts, date and place of the offense
  • Name of the alleged perpetrator if you know him (otherwise, the complaint will be filed against X)
  • Name and address of any witnesses to the offense
  • Description and provisional or definitive estimate of injury
  • Your proof documents: medical certificates, work stoppages, photographs, videos, various invoices, statements...

You can use the following mail template:

File a complaint with the public prosecutor

You can send your complaint by mail or file it directly at the reception of the court.

Please note

If you are a minor, you can report the facts, in writingto the public prosecutor. If you wish to obtain compensation, your legal representatives (e.g. your parents) must be constituted civil party.

FYI  

To assist you in these steps, you can call on a lawyer.

Who shall I contact

If you don't have the financial resources to pay this professional, you can eventually apply for legal aid.

The police investigation may result in a conviction of the perpetrator by the criminal court.

The penalties incurred by the defendant depend on the offense against him:

  • If he's convicted of scam, he shall be sentenced to five years' imprisonment and €375,000 of fine.
    This penalty may be higher if the individual knew about your vulnerability due to your age, illness, etc.
  • If he is convicted of blackmail, he faces a sentence of 5 years in prison and €75,000 of fine.
    The penalty may be increased if the perpetrator has carried out his threats.

Sextortion

Step-by-step approach

The sextortion is a offense by which a malicious individual approaches you on a online communication service and expresses loving or friendly feelings in order to have sexual exchanges with you (telephone exchanges, photos, videos, etc.).

Please note

The perpetrator can also download sexual content stored in one of your devices (computer, smartphone, etc.) after hacking it.

Once this content has been recorded, the individual threatens to disclose the compromising information that he or she holds if you do not pay him or her money or if you do not transmit other intimate content.

If you are a victim of a offense from sextortion, you must collect as much evidence as possible against the perpetrator.

These may include:

  • The telephone number, email address or profile of the perpetrator
  • Screenshots of your exchanges (emails, SMS, conversations on social networks, etc.)
  • Recordings of telephone conversations or videoconferencing.

These elements are essential if you report the facts of sextortion or if you file a complaint against the perpetrator.

As much as possible, it is necessary to gather dated evidence (example: screenshots containing a date and time).

Warning  

After collecting evidence, it is advisable to:

  • Disable the email address or account on which this offense occurred and immediately stop chatting with the perpetrator
  • Do not give in to threats. If a transfer has already been made, contact your bank to have it canceled.

If you paid money to the person who extorted the goods, you can notify your bank to object, challenge the transactions and obtain a refund.

How this is done depends on the information provided to the perpetrator:

If you are a victim or witness of a sextortion, you can report to several authorities and organizations.

These various reports make it possible in particular for the contents illicit be removed from the internet as soon as possible.

The reporting devices are not the same depending on your age:

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

Major

As a victim or witness of a sextortion, you can report to the host of the website concerned.

The hosting providers must offer internet users mechanisms to report content published on a site or a website. online platformwhen they consider it to be illicit.

These mechanisms must be easily accessible to anyone who wishes to report illegal data. It must be able to issue an alert by electronic means.

Social networks (Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, etc.) have developed reporting systems that allow for accurate explanation of the situation and reporting of illegal content.

In the case of independent websites (e.g. the website of a company), the person who wishes to make a report must search for the host's contact details (e.g. email address).

FYI  

In general, the contact details of the host can be found in the legal notice of the website.

The alert shall contain the following information:

  • Description of the content illicit
  • Content localization (for example, URL address)
  • Contact details of the notifier (surname, first name, email address, etc.)
  • Declaration of good faith.

FYI  

It is not mandatory to have tried to contact the offender to report illegal content to the internet host. The victim or witness may directly report the facts to the host.

If a person reports content as illegal, knowing that it is not, he or she faces a sentence of one year in prison and €15,000 of fine.

Minor

It is possible to report the facts to law enforcement, 3018 professionals and / or the hosting provider the site on which the illegal content is located.

Each plays a different role.

Reporting to law enforcement

An instant messaging (chat) allows you to report sexual abuse to the police or gendarmerie:

Report cyberbullying, sextortion, online threats, blackmail, revenge porn or the dissemination of illegal content - Service reserved for minors

FYI  

You can leave the chat at any time and the chat history is cleared.

During this report, the police officer or gendarme advises you and helps you in your administrative procedures (example: filing a complaint). If they deem it necessary, they can call in a patrol and/or trigger an emergency procedure to get you to safety.

Report to 3018

You can contact the 3018, national number for victims of harassment and digital violence. The professionals of this organization can, in particular, contact the host of the site or of the platform concerned and ask it to remove illegal content.

Who shall I contact

  • To ask your questions anonymously and confidentially about school harassment.

    By phone

    3018

    Open 7 days a week, from 9am to 11pm

    Free and anonymous call

    Website

    e-enfance.org

    App Store and Google Play

    The 3018 app is also available from the App Store and Google Play.

Reporting to the host of a website

The hosting providers must offer internet users mechanisms to report content published on a site or a website. online platformwhen they consider it to be illicit.

These mechanisms must be easily accessible to anyone who wishes to report illegal data. It must be able to issue an alert by electronic means.

Social networks (Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, etc.) have developed reporting systems that allow for accurate explanation of the situation and reporting of illegal content.

In the case of independent websites (e.g. the website of a company), the person who wishes to make a report must search for the host's contact details (e.g. email address).

FYI  

In general, the contact details of the host can be found in the legal notice of the website.

The alert shall contain the following information:

  • Description of the content illicit
  • Content localization (for example, URL address)
  • Contact details of the notifier (surname, first name, email address, etc.)
  • Declaration of good faith.

FYI  

It is not mandatory to have tried to contact the offender to report illegal content to the internet host. The victim or witness may directly report the facts to the host.

If a person reports content as illegal, knowing that it is not, he or she faces a sentence of one year in prison and €15,000 of fine.

If you are a victim of a offense from sextortion, you can file a complaint against the perpetrator.

The complaint can be filed online if the following 2 conditions are met:

  • The relationship remained virtual. You haven't met the perpetrator
  • A request for money was made. He is not it is not necessary that a payment and/or collection has taken place.

If these two conditions are not met (for example: the perpetrator did not ask you for money but other photos), you can file a complaint by going to the police station or the gendarmerie brigade of your choice.

You can also file a complaint by writing to public prosecutor.

FYI  

If you do not know the perpetrator, you can file a complaint against X.

The deadline for filing a complaint is 6 years from the last time the individual blackmailed you.

Please note

To help you in your efforts, you can call on a lawyer.

Who shall I contact

If you don't have the financial resources to pay this professional, you can eventually apply for legal aid.

Online

You can file a complaint online from the platform THESEUS: titleContent :

Complaining about online blackmail (THESEE)

Warning  

Minors cannot file a complaint about THESEE. They can only make a report.

As soon as your complaint is validated by the professionals of the THESEE platform, you will receive an information notice in your personal space « Service-Public.fr ».

This notice allows you to obtain information on the follow-up given to your complaint, the assistance you can benefit from (example: assistance from a lawyer) and the means of obtaining compensation.

You are also informed in the event of identification and questioning of the perpetrator.

On site

To file a complaint, you have to go to a police station or to the gendarme of your choice.

Who shall I contact

Police or gendarmerie services are obliged to register your complaint if you are a victim of a offense.

When filing a complaint, you are received and heard by the police or gendarmerie. At the end of this interview, you receive a receipt and a copy of your complaint if you request it.

Please note

If you are a minor, you can report the facts at the police station or gendarmerie brigade of your choice. If you wish to obtain compensation, you must obligatory be accompanied by your legal representatives (e.g. your parents) who shall constitute a civil party in your place.

By post

You can file a complaint with the public prosecutor.

To do this, you need to send a letter to court of the place of the offense or of the domicile of the offender.

Your mail should include the following:

  • Your marital status and full contact details (address and telephone number)
  • Detailed account of the facts, date and place of the offense
  • Name of the alleged perpetrator if you know him (otherwise, the complaint will be filed against X)
  • Name and address of any witnesses to the offense
  • Description and provisional or definitive estimate of injury
  • Your proof documents: medical certificates, work stoppages, photographs, videos, various invoices, statements...

You can use the following mail template:

File a complaint with the public prosecutor

You can send your complaint by mail or file it directly at the reception of the court.

Please note

If you are a minor, you can report the facts, in writingto the public prosecutor. If you wish to obtain compensation, your legal representatives (e.g. your parents) must be constituted civil party.

When filing a complaint, you can constitute yourself civil party to obtain damages. If you are a minor, these are your legal representatives who must become a civil party on your behalf.

The police investigation may result in a conviction of the perpetrator by the criminal court.

The defendant shall be punished by imprisonment for 7 years and €100,000 of fine.

Warning  

Of specific sanctions apply when the cyberbully is a minor.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • For help after cyberbullying

    This service allows victims of infringements (excluding damage to property on the internet) to be listened to and referred to a victim support association or a specialized service. It is accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people.

    In metropolitan France

    116,006

    Free call

    Service available every day of the year, from 9am to 8pm.

    Outside metropolitan France (or from the foreigner)

    + 33 (0)1 80 52 33 76

    Free call

    Service reachable every day of the year, from 9am to 8pm (Paris time).

    By email

    By email: victimes@116006.fr

  • For any adolescent or young adult victim of violence on the internet

    To ask your questions anonymously and confidentially about online harassment (cyber-harassment).

    By phone

    3018

    Open 7 days a week, from 9am to 11pm

    Free and anonymous call

    Website

    e-enfance.org

    App Store and Google Play

    The 3018 app is also available from the App Store and Google Play.

  • To obtain information on the removal of illegal content published on the internet

    By post

    3 Place de Fontenoy

    ASD 80715

    75334 Paris cedex 07

    Cnil does not receive the public and does not provide any information on the spot.

    By phone

    +33 1 53 73 22 22

    Telephone reception open Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 5 pm.

    Legal information open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10am to 12pm.

    By email

    Access to contact form