If someone threatens to call the police, post intimate photos, or inform your workplace unless you pay up — don’t give them a single cent and don’t delete any records; call the police right away

Cost: There’s no monetary cost. Take screenshots of their account info, chat logs, and payment codes, then head to the nearest police station with your phone. The hardest part is resisting the urge to “pay to make it go away.”

In plain terms: Using threats like “I’ll call the cops” or “I’ll send these photos to your boss” to force you to pay is extortion. Paying even once only invites more demands. If they actually post the photos, that adds another criminal charge. Extortion involving sums between 2,000 and 5,000 yuan carries a maximum sentence of three years; amounts from 30,000 to 100,000 yuan can lead to 3–10 years behind bars.

Benefit: Article 274 of the Criminal Law stipulates that extortion of property — whether a single sizable sum or repeated smaller ones — is punishable by up to three years in prison, detention, or probation, plus a fine. Larger or especially egregious cases incur longer sentences. The Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate further define these thresholds: 2,000–5,000 yuan marks “a relatively large amount”; 30,000–100,000 yuan is “a huge amount”; 300,000–500,000 yuan qualifies as “an especially huge amount.” Article 1032 of the Civil Code protects privacy, while Article 1033 bars any interference with personal peace via calls, texts, or messaging apps.

Evidence grade: A

Sources:全国人大 (2020 年修正). 刑法（第二百七十四条）. https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/11033925/index.html（北京市公安交管局转载整合文本）；最高人民法院、最高人民检察院 (2013). 关于办理敲诈勒索刑事案件适用法律若干问题的解释（法释〔2013〕10 号）. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/5310.html；全国人大 (2020). 民法典（第一千零三十二、一千零三十三条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml；全国人大 (2020). 民法典（第一千一百九十五条）：「权利人有权通知网络服务提供者采取删除、屏蔽、断开链接等必要措施。通知应当包括构成侵权的初步证据及权利人的真实身份信息」「未及时采取必要措施的，对损害的扩大部分与该网络用户承担连带责任」. https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=ff808081729d1efe01729d50b5c500bf（国家法律法规数据库）；福建省公安厅 (2024). 因为一条「约炮」信息，我背上 23 万的债务. http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202403/t20240307_6410612.htm；检察日报 (2018). 两次获刑不思悔改　曝光隐私要挟网友（徐州市鼓楼区人民检察院网站转载）. https://xzgl.jsjc.gov.cn/jianwu/baxiang/201804/t20180409_420934.shtml；检察日报 (2022). 男子以公布裸照威胁10名女性与其发生关系，大数据筛查「报警」！（最高人民检察院网站）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/zdgz/202212/t20221212_595435.shtml

Notes: Exact monetary thresholds vary by province within the limits set by national law. Repeated extortion — even if each sum is modest — also qualifies as a serious offense. Never delete chats, photos, or accounts; doing so destroys crucial evidence. If authorities open an investigation, those records become vital proof on your behalf. Avoid any notion of “installment negotiations” — most online extortion rings operate overseas and employ malware to harvest contacts. Threats to expose someone’s sexual orientation are equally illegal. In one Jiangsu case, a repeat offender demanded 14,500 yuan after arranging a meeting; he was prosecuted despite prior convictions for similar tactics. Using nude images to coerce sexual acts constitutes rape. In Zhejiang, a perpetrator amassed nude photos of ten women and blackmailed them; even when victims never met him, courts still convicted him of attempted rape. Never share intimate images online. Conversely, if you’re the victim seeking compensation, higher amounts do not automatically constitute extortion — see Section 36 for details. Should photos appear online, the Civil Code (Article 1195) entitles you to demand removal from platforms; failure to act promptly can make them jointly liable for ensuing damages. 〔2013〕 〔2013〕