Threatening to publish someone’s private images, messages or information in order to extract money, compliance or anything else is a criminal offence. It is also the matter victims are most reluctant to report, which is precisely what the people doing it rely on.
You are not the one at fault
Being blackmailed over private material is not a wrong you have committed. The offence lies in the threat and the coercion. Shame keeps most victims silent, and silence is what allows demands to continue and escalate.
Do not pay
Payment almost never ends the matter. It confirms the pressure works and usually produces further demands. It also complicates the eventual complaint, because the financial trail becomes harder to explain.
Preserve everything, then report
- Screenshot the threats in full, showing sender identity and timestamps
- Keep account handles, numbers and any payment details demanded
- Do not delete the conversation, however much you want to
- Do not engage further beyond what is needed to preserve evidence
Where the law bites
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 addresses offences including the unauthorised use of identity information, and offences against the dignity and privacy of a natural person. Provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code dealing with extortion and criminal intimidation may also apply.
Which provisions fit depends on what was threatened, what was demanded, and how it was communicated.
Confidentiality
Concern about who will find out is the main reason victims delay. Raise that concern directly when you seek advice, so that the approach accounts for it from the start rather than as an afterthought.
What to do next
Preserve the evidence, stop engaging, and get advice quickly. Delay generally makes these matters worse rather than better.