How is this possible if I never sent that kind of photo?

Because no such image needs to be sent: an ordinary, public photograph is enough as a starting point. That is the essential change compared with classic sextortion, and the reason nothing that happens here reflects any carelessness on your part.

Does the fact that the image is fake change anything about the recourse available?

The harm is real and the distribution remains an offense: French law covers this kind of content, including when fabricated. Make this clear when filing a police report and in reports to platforms, whose procedures explicitly cover synthetic content.

AI misuse of photos

In plain terms

Ordinary photos you posted — a portrait, a vacation picture — turned without your consent into intimate or compromising images. You never sent anything: they were public.

Definition

AI misuse of photos is the transformation of existing, publicly accessible images of a person into synthetically produced intimate or compromising content, without their consent.

How it works

The raw material is what everyone posts: a profile portrait is enough. The transformation itself no longer requires any particular skill. This is the one point that matters for understanding the change: sextortion used to assume the victim had sent something, and prevention rested on that idea — send nothing. That is no longer the case, and it needs to be said plainly, because many victims believe themselves responsible for a carelessness they never committed. The images are then used either for blackmail or for distribution, with the same effects as authentic content: what harms the person isn't whether the image is real, it's its circulation.

Warning signs

Message claiming to hold images of you, accompanied by an excerpt that catches you off guard
Content depicting you flagged by people close to you
Unknown account that has recently gathered your public photos
Demand for payment or more images to prevent distribution
Profiles reusing your photos in a context you didn't choose

How to verify

There is nothing to verify with the sender, and engaging with them only supplies more information. Document and preserve: time-stamped screenshots, page addresses, account identifiers. A reverse image search on your own photos can help spot other places they've been distributed.

What to do

Don't pay, and don't send anything more. Report it to the platforms using the procedure dedicated to non-consensual intimate content, which also covers fabricated content. Restrict the visibility of your public photos, while knowing this reduces exposure without eliminating it.

If it already happened

File a police report: distributing intimate content without consent is a criminal offense, including when the image is fabricated, and you are the victim. A dedicated hotline supports victims of online harassment and has direct contacts with platforms to get content taken down. You did nothing careless: these images were produced from ordinary photographs, without anything being asked of you.

Frequently asked questions

How is this possible if I never sent that kind of photo?: Because no such image needs to be sent: an ordinary, public photograph is enough as a starting point. That is the essential change compared with classic sextortion, and the reason nothing that happens here reflects any carelessness on your part.
Does the fact that the image is fake change anything about the recourse available?: The harm is real and the distribution remains an offense: French law covers this kind of content, including when fabricated. Make this clear when filing a police report and in reports to platforms, whose procedures explicitly cover synthetic content.

Official sources

Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr — Assistance and reporting (French government cybersecurity assistance service)

Also known as: non-consensual generated imagery, faked photos, intimate deepfake.

This article is part of the AI and synthetic content family. Last updated: 2026-09-03.