Safety guide
Sex Scams and Sextortion: How to Spot and Stop Them
A scammer wants your money or your pictures, not a shag. Here is how to tell, and what to do if one slips through.
How do you spot a sex scam?
Watch for anyone who asks for money, gift cards or crypto, hurries you off the site, keeps dodging video chat or sends a link to "verify" somewhere else. If someone threatens to share your photos, don't pay, stop replying, keep the evidence and report it to the police and to the site.
Scammers bet on you being too keen, or too embarrassed, to ask awkward questions. Knowing their moves takes that bet away, on Get A Shag (adults only, 18+) or anywhere else.
Dating scam warning signs on a casual site
- They ask for money, in any form
- A cab fare, a hotel deposit, a sick relative, a sure-thing investment: the story changes, the ask does not. City of London Police puts it simply: if you have not met someone face to face, they get no money, no cryptocurrency and no gift cards. It also says to be alert to requests involving investments, emergencies or travel costs.
- They want you off the site, fast
- WhatsApp, text, email, anywhere but here. Once you move, they have your number and you lose the report and block buttons. If Get A Shag warns you about it, take the hint.
- They won't video chat
- Police Scotland's list of warning signs includes refusing a video call or a meeting in person, or saying their camera isn't working. Someone real and keen can manage two minutes on camera.
- They send you a "verification" link
- The pitch sounds like "I just need you to verify you're safe first", followed by a link to another site that wants your card details. Get A Shag's own ID check is at no charge, so a request for card details to "verify" you is a red flag.
- The photos look too good
- Report Fraud suggests checking photos with a reverse image search such as Google image search or TinEye. If the same face turns up under five different names, you have your answer.
Someone is threatening to share my photos: what now?
That is sextortion: blackmail with intimate pictures or video, a demand for money or more images backed by a threat to share what they have. The National Crime Agency (NCA) is clear: "If this has happened to you, it is not your fault."
- Don't pay. The NCA's advice is "Don't pay, do stop contact and block." If you have already paid, it says to stay calm but don't pay anything more.
- Screenshot everything. The NCA warns against deleting anything that could be used as evidence, so capture the messages, the profile and any payment details before you block.
- Stop contact and block. The UK helpline for adults facing intimate image abuse, run by the charity SWGfL, says to block them, stop all communication and report them to the platform. It is on 0345 6000 459, 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays.
- Report it. The NCA tells adults to report it to the police, on 101 or 999, and to report the account to the platform. On Get A Shag, report the profile from inside the site; content shared without consent is taken down fast.
- Stop the pictures spreading. StopNCII.org, also run by SWGfL, makes a digital fingerprint of your image on your own device, without downloading the image, and shares only that fingerprint with participating companies so they can remove matches. It is free of charge. You must be the person shown and over 18 both then and now, and it covers participating platforms only, not the whole internet.
Is threatening to share intimate images a crime?
Yes. In England and Wales, section 66B of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 has made it an offence since 31 January 2024 to share an intimate photo or film of someone without their consent, or to threaten to. Creating a sexual deepfake of an adult became an offence under the same Act on 6 February 2026. In Scotland, the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 makes it an offence to disclose, or threaten to disclose, an intimate photograph or film. The threat alone is a crime, so report it.
How Get A Shag keeps scammers on the back foot
The short version; the full list is on the safety page.
A warning before you leave
The site shows a warning when someone tries to move a chat to WhatsApp or another app.
A nudge to keep talking where reporting and blocking still work.
Behaviour monitoring
The platform watches for the behaviour of bots and scammers.
It works alongside your reports, not instead of them.
Report and block
Report a profile or a message from inside the site, and block anyone instantly.
Staff are on hand day and night by chat and messaging.
No asking for money
The member terms bar members from asking other members for money or selling services.
Any request for cash, gift cards or a "deposit" to meet breaks the rules, so report it.
How to report a dating scam in the UK
Action Fraud has gone. GOV.UK says that from 4 December 2025, Report Fraud, run by City of London Police, replaced it as the national service for reporting fraud and cyber crime. Report at reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040, the same number as before.
| What happened | Who to contact |
|---|---|
| You sent money | Your bank, then Report Fraud. Police Scotland adds: use a bank number you know to be correct, and in Scotland report to the police on 101. |
| Someone threatens to share your pictures | The police on 101, or 999 if you are in danger, plus SWGfL's helpline on 0345 6000 459. |
| A scam profile on Get A Shag | Report it from inside the site, then block it. |
Scam and sextortion questions
Someone is blackmailing me with photos. What do I do?
Don't pay and stop replying. Screenshot everything, then block them. The National Crime Agency says to tell the police, on 101 or 999, report the account to the platform and use StopNCII.org. It also says it is not your fault.
Should I pay a sextortion demand?
No. The National Crime Agency's advice is not to pay, to stop contact and to block. If you have paid already, it says to stay calm and not pay anything more.
How do I report a dating scam in the UK?
Go to Report Fraud, which took over from Action Fraud and is run by City of London Police: reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. Scotland is different: ring Police Scotland on 101. If you paid anything, tell your bank too.
Is threatening to share intimate photos illegal?
Yes. In England and Wales it is an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and in Scotland under the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016. Sharing the images without consent is an offence too.
What are the warning signs of a dating scam?
Requests for money, gift cards or crypto, pressure to leave the site, excuses to avoid video chat, links to "verify" yourself elsewhere, and photos that look too polished.
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