What you need to know

This post, relevant to all Queen Mary students, is from the Welfare Advice Team in the University’s Advice and Counselling Service. The advice about Sextortion, also known as revenge porn or image-based sexual abuse comes directly from the British police, who have asked us to share the story with you. Read on for more details about this kind of scam and what you can do if it happens to you.

Personal and intimate relationships

Whatever your background, you’ll meet lots of new people when you start university: other students, lecturers, support staff. You’ll make new friends on your course through societies and perhaps start dating. It’s likely to be a time of huge transition in your life. Some students may need support, whilst others prefer to manage themselves. Take a look at our Transition to university guidance.

If you are starting your first intimate relationship, there may be times when you feel pressured into doing things you don’t want to, and you may not feel able to ask anyone whether it’s a good idea or not. There’s lots of helpful advice and information on how to get confidential support on the Consent Matters web page.

What is sextortion?

There’s growing evidence among student populations, including at Queen Mary, of sextortion, also known as revenge porn or image-based sexual abuse. This is the sharing of explicit images and videos without consent. The person who sends them is blackmailed, usually threatened that the content will be sent to their family, lecturers or course mates unless money or its equivalent such as vouchers/gift cards are paid to the blackmailer.

What can I do if I’m a victim of sextortion?

If this has happened to you, remember it’s not your fault and you don’t need to report it to the police unless you want to. At Queen Mary, there is non-judgmental, confidential, specialist 1:1 support available on a range of practical and emotional issues, including sexual assault and harassment. You can also access legal advice specifically around this issue free of charge from Queen Mary’s Legal Advice Centre.

Further advice

If you feel it would be useful to talk to a Counsellor for emotional support, you can find out more on our Counselling webpage, or contact us for wellbeing support.

To book an appointment, log an AskQM enquiry, choose ‘new enquiry’, then select from the drop-down list. Follow the same AskQM process if you would like an appointment for advice about money or practical issues.