Any content you create online – whether it is a text message, photo, or video – can be made public, and nothing actually “disappears” online. Once you send something, you don’t have any control over where it goes next. These messages can be exploited by the perpetrator threatening to make the content public if the victim doesn’t continue to produce more imagery. Financial sextortion is when the perpetrator threatens to make the imagery public if the victim doesn’t send money or gift cards. Awareness and sensible safety practices online, along with a willingness to ask for help, can put an end to this explotation. Please visit our sextortion resource page to learn more on the desvestating problem.