Safety & privacy
What to Do If a Stranger Records You on Video Chat
If someone records you on video chat, here's what to do: stop engaging, don't pay or send anything, save evidence of who they are and what they said, report them on the platform, and use free tools to get intimate images blocked or removed. If they threaten to share the recording, treat it as sextortion and report it to the police or, in the US, the FBI.
Finding out you were recorded is upsetting, but you have more options than it feels like right now. Take it one step at a time.
First, take a breath: this isn't your fault
Recording someone without their consent and using it against them is a choice the other person made. Whatever happened on camera, you aren't to blame for someone else deciding to exploit it.
It also helps to know that "I recorded you" messages are sometimes bluffs or exaggerations designed to scare you into reacting fast. Whether or not a recording really exists, the steps below are the same, and none of them involve giving the person what they want.
If you feel overwhelmed or unsafe, talk to someone you trust before you do anything else. In the US, you can call or text 988 at any time for crisis support.
Your first-hour plan
- Stop responding. Don't argue, plead or negotiate. Every reply tells them you're worried and keeps the pressure on.
- Don't pay and don't send more. Payment rarely makes a recording disappear, and it usually leads to bigger demands.
- Save the evidence before anything else. Screenshot their messages, usernames, profile links, any payment details they asked you to use and any links they sent. Note the date, time and site.
- Don't delete the conversation or your accounts. Deleting can destroy evidence that police and platforms need. To hide, set your social media to private or deactivate it temporarily instead.
- Block and report them on every platform where they contacted you, once your screenshots are saved.
- Report threats or demands to the authorities. In the US, file a report with the FBI's IC3. Elsewhere, contact your local police.
If they're demanding money or more images, our sextortion guide covers that situation in more detail, including what to do if you've already paid.
What evidence to keep, and why
Platforms and police can act faster when you can show exactly what happened. Keep everything in one folder, ideally somewhere the other person can't reach, like an account with two-factor authentication.
| Save this | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Screenshots of messages, especially threats | Shows what they intended and when |
| Usernames, profile links, phone numbers or emails | Lets platforms find and remove the account |
| Links or file names they sent | Helps trace where a recording might be posted |
| Payment requests: wallet addresses, gift card types, payment app handles | Needed for fraud reports, even if you never paid |
| Date, time and the site or app you were on | Lets a platform match your report to its records |
On sites without usernames or profiles, like Omlet, the most useful record is the report itself. Reporting from inside the chat lets you add a note and include the chat messages, which are then kept for the safety review.
Report it where it happened
Report the person on the site where you met and anywhere else they've contacted you. Choose the reason closest to what happened: harassment or threats, scams, or non-consensual intimate content if the site lists it.
On Omlet, tap the flag on your partner's video, choose a reason, add a short note such as "Said he recorded me and wants money," include the chat messages and press Report and skip. Moderators review it, and that person is never matched with you again on that device. Omlet doesn't record or store calls, so any recording exists only on the other person's side.
If the recording appears on a social network or website, report it there too. Most major platforms have a specific option for intimate images shared without consent.
Getting intimate images blocked or taken down
If the recording is intimate or sexual, free tools can help stop it from spreading:
- If you're an adult in the images: StopNCII.org creates a digital fingerprint (a hash) of your image or video on your own device. The file itself isn't uploaded; participating platforms use the fingerprint to detect and block copies.
- If anyone in the images is under 18: Take It Down from NCMEC works the same way, including for adults whose images were taken before they turned 18.
- Sexual content involving minors should also be reported to the NCMEC CyberTipline.
These hashing tools need a copy of the image or video on your device. If you don't have one, report each link where it appears directly to the site hosting it.
For search engine removals and the reporting forms on major sites, read how to get intimate images removed online.
If the clip isn't intimate but it's still out there
Sometimes the recording is just your face or a reaction, posted somewhere as a joke. That still isn't okay, and most platforms remove content that harasses or exposes a private person.
- Report the post for harassment or a privacy violation on the platform where it appears.
- Don't comment on it; replies can push it higher in feeds.
- Ask friends not to share it, even to defend you.
- If the clip includes your name, workplace or location, follow the steps in what to do if you get doxxed.
Lower the odds next time
Nothing stops a determined person from recording their own screen or pointing a phone at it, and no site can reliably tell when they do; can you tell if someone is screen recording? explains why. What you can control:
- Assume any chat could be saved, and act accordingly.
- Skip anyone who pushes you to undress or get personal quickly; it's the classic setup.
- Keep your framing to your face and a plain wall, with nothing that shows your name.
- Don't move to another app with someone you just met.
For the bigger picture on risk, read is random video chat safe?