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@scarycat19
OwnerAEN Team
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Standing against online extortion through awareness, action, support, and collaboration.
AEN is an independent anti-extortion network focused on raising awareness, supporting victims, documenting incidents responsibly, and working alongside trusted partners to combat online extortion.
About the network
AEN stands for the Anti-Extortion Network — an independent network of people working against online extortion.
Online extortion is common, it is deliberate, and it is designed to make the person on the receiving end feel isolated and rushed. AEN exists because that isolation is the point of pressure — and because people facing it deserve somewhere clear to turn that treats them as a victim rather than a case file.
The network raises awareness so people can recognize extortion earlier, supports victims in understanding what options are open to them, organizes information about incidents responsibly, and works alongside trusted partners and communities so that responses improve over time.
AEN's commitment to victims is straightforward: you will be treated with dignity and without judgment, sensitive information will be handled responsibly, and you will never be pushed toward confrontation or retaliation.
Everything the network does is bounded by responsible action and collaboration. Where a situation needs expertise, reach or authority that AEN does not have, the right answer is to work with those who do — platforms, partner organizations, and the appropriate authorities.
Educating people about online extortion and helping people recognize warning signs.
Helping victims understand their options and directing them toward appropriate resources.
Responsibly organizing information relating to incidents.
Reviewing information and publicly available material where appropriate and lawful.
Helping relevant information reach appropriate platforms, organizations, or authorities.
Working with trusted organizations and communities to improve responses to online extortion.
AEN is not law enforcement.
AEN is an independent organization. It holds no policing powers, makes no arrests, and is not a substitute for reporting a crime to the authorities in your country. Where a matter belongs with law enforcement, we will say so.
Our mission
Victims should be treated with dignity, respect, and without judgment.
AEN does not encourage retaliation, harassment, hacking, or vigilantism.
Sensitive information should be handled responsibly.
Claims and information should be handled carefully and responsibly.
We work alongside trusted partners and organizations when additional expertise or support is needed.
The network
The people behind the network.
The people behind the network.
The core team responsible for the direction and day-to-day running of the Anti-Extortion Network.
@scarycat19
@temp1262
@NetAudit
@Loyal623
@abelfh
The AE Nexus team.
A distinct team operating within the wider network.
@forgedy
@comjokester
The team that gathers and reviews information.
An internal division that gathers and reviews publicly available information relating to incidents, supporting AEN's documentation and reporting work. It does not publish personal information about individuals.
@scarycat19
@temp1262
@itshouldvebeenyou
@abelfh
If you are experiencing online extortion, you don't have to navigate it alone. AEN works with trusted partners to provide victims with a pathway toward reporting and support.
Victim reporting is provided in partnership with CyberShield.help.
AEN is an independent organization and is not a law-enforcement agency.
Who we work with
Working together against online extortion.
Connected communities
Connected with others working toward the same goal.
t.me/antiextlist
t.me/antiextortioncom
Affiliations are communities and lists connected to the same goal. They are listed separately from AEN's partnerships and are not partner organizations.
Awareness
Knowing how extortion works makes it easier to recognize early — and easier to respond to calmly.
Online extortion is when someone threatens to cause you harm — usually by releasing private material, private information, or damaging claims — unless you give them something. That demand is often money, but it can also be more images, account access, or continued contact. The threat is the tool; compliance is the goal.
Extortion appears in many shapes. Recognizing the shape does not make you responsible for it.
Situations that turn into extortion often share early signals.
If this is happening to you
The pressure you are feeling is deliberate. It is meant to stop you from thinking clearly and to keep you from telling anyone. You have more time and more options than the situation is designed to make you believe.
Urgency is the pressure being applied to you. Stepping back for a few minutes costs you far less than a rushed decision.
Where it is safe, save screenshots, usernames, profile links, dates, and any payment details before they are deleted.
Change affected passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and sign out sessions and applications you do not recognize.
Isolation is what makes extortion effective. One trusted person makes the situation easier to carry and easier to act on.
Platforms have dedicated reporting routes for blackmail, sexual extortion, harassment, and impersonation.
Many countries operate a national cybercrime reporting service. Extortion is a crime, and you are permitted to report it.
If you would like to submit an incident through AEN's partner, CyberShield.help handles victim reporting on our behalf.
If you are under 18, please involve a trusted adult and the appropriate authorities. You will not be in trouble for asking for help, and you do not have to explain the situation on your own.
AEN does not encourage confronting, retaliating against, tracking, hacking, or exposing anyone. Doing so can put you at greater risk and can complicate a later report. Route it through platforms, authorities, and our reporting partner instead.
If you are in immediate danger
If you believe you are in immediate physical danger, contact your local emergency services or a trusted person who can help you immediately.
Questions
Short answers to the things people ask most often.
AEN is the Anti-Extortion Network — an independent network focused on online extortion. It exists to raise awareness, support victims, document incidents responsibly, and work alongside trusted partners.
AEN works across six areas: awareness, victim support, documentation, investigation, reporting, and collaboration. In practice that means helping people recognize extortion, helping victims understand their options, organizing information responsibly, reviewing material where appropriate and lawful, helping relevant information reach the right platforms or organizations, and working with others toward better responses.
No. AEN is an independent organization and is not a law-enforcement agency. We have no policing powers and cannot act as a substitute for reporting a crime to the authorities in your country.
Use the Report an Incident button anywhere on this site. It takes you to CyberShield.help, our reporting partner, who handle victim reports. If you are in immediate physical danger, contact your local emergency services first.
Victim reporting is provided in partnership with CyberShield.help. AEN does not operate its own victim-report database or ticketing system — reports go through our partner.
CyberShield.help is AEN's victim-reporting partner and the pathway we direct victims toward. Their site is at cybershield.help.
Yes. Team members are listed on the Teams page with the usernames they can be reached at. Please note that for an incident report, the CyberShield pathway is the appropriate route rather than an individual member.
First, don't panic, and don't feel pressured to respond immediately — urgency is part of the pressure being applied to you. If you believe you are in immediate physical danger, contact your local emergency services or a trusted person who can help you right now. Otherwise, preserve evidence, secure your accounts, tell someone you trust, and report through the platform and the CyberShield pathway.
You are not the first person this has happened to, and it does not make what happened your fault. Demands very often continue after a payment, so paying again rarely ends it. Keep records of the payment, contact your bank or payment provider to ask about their options, and include the payment details when you report.
Please involve a trusted adult and the appropriate authorities. You will not be in trouble for asking for help. Many countries have dedicated child-protection and reporting services for exactly this situation, and telling an adult you trust is the fastest way to reach them.
Get in touch
There are two ways to reach us, depending on what you need.
If you are a victim of online extortion, please use the reporting pathway rather than messaging an individual member. Victim reports are handled by our partner, CyberShield.help.
For questions about the network, partnerships, or collaboration, contact the appropriate team member using the usernames listed on the Teams page. Those usernames are the only contact routes AEN publishes.