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If an online threat suggests someone may be in immediate physical danger, contact your local emergency service first. Do not wait to assemble screenshots or a perfect evidence file. Once everyone is safe, preserve the original message and surrounding context, report the content through the platform, and notify the law-enforcement or specialist service that covers your location and the type of threat.
The practical steps below combine guidance from the FBI, UK Police.uk, GOV.UK, UK Report Fraud and Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. Procedures, emergency numbers and platform menus differ by country and can change; use the local route for your situation.
1. Deal with immediate danger before collecting anything
Online messages can signal an imminent physical attack, stalking, suicide risk or another emergency. If you reasonably believe somebody is in immediate danger, stop evidence collection and call the emergency number for the place where the person at risk is located. In the UK, Police.uk directs people to call 999 when there is immediate danger to life or somebody is threatening violence. In the United States, the FBI tells recipients of electronic threats to notify law enforcement immediately; use 911 or the appropriate local emergency route when danger is immediate.
If you are elsewhere, use your own country’s emergency service rather than assuming that 999, 911 or another number works locally. Tell the dispatcher that the threat was sent online, explain why you think the danger is immediate, and give the sender’s identity, location clues and any planned time or place. Do not confront the sender or arrange an in-person meeting to “verify” the threat.
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2. Preserve what you can without putting yourself at risk
You do not need to finish an evidence package before asking for help. Police.uk states: “You don’t need to gather ‘evidence’ like screenshots, text messages, videos or photos before you report to us.” That statement applies to the reporting routes described by Police.uk, not automatically to every country, police service or website. GOV.UK gives similar advice for its terrorism-content reporting route: evidence is not required, although screenshots and links can help.
Preserve information only when doing so is safe. If the material is disappearing, the account is contacting you repeatedly, or taking a screenshot could alert the sender, report first and explain what you saw. A report made promptly with incomplete information is more useful than a delayed report made after the content has vanished.
Keep the original message and account intact
Do not delete the threatening message, conversation or email if you can safely leave it in place. FBI guidance says not to delete electronic threat messages and to leave them open on the device. Avoid replying, editing the conversation, forwarding it to friends or moving it between services unless an investigator instructs you to do so. Preserve the account or profile as it appears, including its display name, username and profile address.
If you fear that opening the message again could trigger a download, tracking link or notification, do not reopen it. Record that limitation in your report and ask the platform or police how they want the original handled.
Record the identifying details
For an email or direct message, note the subject line, sender address or username, date and time shown by the service, and the account or profile URL. The FBI lists printing, photographing or copying this information as options. A printer is not required: a clear photograph of the screen or a faithful copy of the text can preserve the same visible details.
For a post, comment, livestream or profile, record:
- the platform or service name;
- the exact URL where the material appeared;
- the username, display name and profile URL;
- the date and time, including your time zone when known;
- the wording of the threat and any attached media;
- links to related posts, channels, groups or accounts; and
- how the sender contacted you, such as a public reply, private message, email or voice call.
Copy URLs exactly as displayed. Content can be removed or edited while a profile remains online, so the URL helps an investigator locate the original location even if your capture is incomplete.
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Capture enough context, not just the threatening sentence
A screenshot is most useful when it shows the surrounding conversation, the account identifier and the service interface. Capture enough above and below the threat to establish who said it, what prompted it and whether there were previous messages. Keep the original capture unmarked and uncropped. If you need to highlight a phrase for your own notes, make a separate working copy and retain the untouched original.
Some apps notify another person when a screenshot or recording is taken. If notification could increase the risk, consider photographing the screen with a second device instead. Make sure the photograph is legible and includes the sender, date, time and surrounding context. Do not use a capture method that requires you to click an unfamiliar link or install software.
Build a short, factual timeline
eSafety Commissioner guidance recommends recording dates, times, platforms, URLs, usernames and profile addresses, plus frequency and context. A timeline can show that apparently separate posts are part of a repeated pattern. Use one entry per incident and write what happened without guessing at the sender’s motives.
Include practical effects that help an investigator understand urgency: unwanted contact at work, a threat to visit your home, disclosure of your address, attempts to contact family members, or fear that caused you to change routine. Note witnesses and any related offline incident. Keep the timeline in a secure location and avoid sharing it publicly.
Protect your own accounts while preserving material
Do not sacrifice account security to save evidence. If the sender may know your password, change it from a trusted device, enable multi-factor authentication and review active sessions. Preserve the threatening account before blocking it if doing so is safe; otherwise block or restrict contact after reporting. Ask the platform or police whether they want the account left accessible for a specific period.
3. The critical exception: sexual images involving anyone under 18
Do not save, screenshot, record or share sexual images or videos if anyone depicted may be under 18. eSafety Commissioner guidance gives this explicit warning. Police.uk likewise says that if you are unsure whether everybody shown in an intimate image is 18 or older, do not screenshot, record or share it, even with police.
Instead, preserve non-image details such as the sender’s account, the URL, dates and times, and the fact that the material exists. Tell police or the relevant child-protection or specialist reporting service exactly what happened and follow its instructions for submitting the location safely. Do not download the file, ask another person to view it, or circulate its link.
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4. Can you report an online threat without evidence?
Yes, for the UK reporting routes cited above, evidence is not a prerequisite. Police.uk expressly says you can report without first gathering screenshots, messages, videos or photographs. GOV.UK’s terrorism-content route also says evidence is not required, while noting that screenshots and links can assist.
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5. Report in this order: platform, authority and your own records
Step 1: Use the platform’s current reporting route
Open the service’s in-app or web reporting tool and choose the category that most closely matches the conduct, such as threats, violence, harassment, stalking, extortion or sexual exploitation. Attach the original, unedited capture when it is safe and permitted. Include the exact post or profile URL rather than only a screenshot.
Platform menus change, so follow the labels visible in your account. If the sender is threatening immediate violence, do not rely on platform moderation as your only response. Report to emergency services or police as well.
Step 2: Contact the authority that covers the location and threat
Use the route that matches both where the victim or threat is located and the nature of the conduct.
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|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom, immediate danger to life or threatened violence | Call 999, as directed by Police.uk | Explain the immediate risk, location, planned time or place, sender details and any preserved URL. |
| United Kingdom, other online threats | Use Police.uk’s online reporting and other available police options | Provide the account identifiers, timeline, context and copies or photographs when safe. |
| United States, electronic threats | Notify local law enforcement; the FBI also identifies tips.fbi.gov and a local field office for ongoing threats to life | State where the threatened person is, whether the threat is ongoing, and how the sender can be identified. |
| Australia or another country | Contact local police or the relevant specialist reporting service, using local emergency procedures when danger is immediate | Give the platform, URL, account details, dates, times, context and any safety concerns about preserving media. |
For UK terrorism-related content, GOV.UK provides a separate reporting route. For sextortion in the UK, Report Fraud advises reporting to both police and the platform. Outside the UK, use your local police and specialist services rather than assuming those UK channels accept your case.
Step 3: Keep your submission details
Write down when and where you reported the threat, the username or reference shown by the platform, and any confirmation email or case number. This is an organizational practice, not a universal legal requirement; the cited guidance does not establish that every service issues a reference number. Store the details privately so you can quote them in a follow-up report.
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6. Sextortion and threats to release intimate images
UK Report Fraud advises victims of sextortion not to delete potentially useful messages, images or bank details. Collect the URLs where intimate images have been shared, report the material to the platform and police, and do not share those links with anyone else. Stop communicating with the extorter. Paying does not guarantee that the threats will stop, so do not treat payment as a safety solution.
Preserve payment records, usernames, wallet addresses or bank details without sending additional money. If intimate imagery may involve somebody under 18, follow the age-related rule above: do not capture or circulate the image or its link. Tell police or the appropriate child-protection service what happened and ask how to provide the location safely.
7. What makes a report actionable?
Organize your report so an investigator can answer four questions quickly: who sent it, what was threatened, where and when it appeared, and why it may be credible or urgent. A concise report can include:
- Identity: usernames, profile URLs, email addresses, telephone numbers and names used by the sender.
- Content: the exact wording where possible, attached files, links and references to weapons, locations, dates or intended victims.
- Timeline: first contact, subsequent messages, frequency, escalation and the time you last saw the content.
- Context: prior relationship, stalking or harassment, attempts to contact relatives or employers, and relevant offline incidents.
- Impact and risk: why you believe somebody may be unsafe, including a named location or planned event.
- Preservation limits: what you could not save because of safety, privacy, age uncertainty or a disappearing-message feature.
Separate what you directly saw from what somebody else told you. Do not add speculation, identify a person publicly or publish the sender’s details online. Public reposting can expose victims and may alert the sender.
8. Common mistakes and safer alternatives
- Waiting for perfect evidence: Report promptly and explain what is missing. The UK guidance specifically allows reporting before evidence collection.
- Deleting the conversation: Keep the original when safe; if you already deleted it, report what you remember and identify the account and service.
- Replying to negotiate: Do not argue, threaten back or agree to meet. In sextortion cases, Report Fraud advises stopping communication.
- Capturing only a cropped sentence: Preserve the surrounding conversation, account identity, date, time and URL.
- Taking a screenshot that alerts the sender: Consider a camera photograph of the screen if that is safer.
- Saving or forwarding under-18 sexual imagery: Do not capture or circulate it; contact police or child-protection specialists for instructions.
- Relying only on platform moderation: Use police or emergency services when the threat involves imminent danger, violence, stalking or extortion.
- Sharing links widely: Give URLs only to the platform, police or an authorized reporting service. Report Fraud specifically says not to share links to intimate images with anyone else.
9. Privacy, legal and evidentiary limits
The FBI, Police.uk, GOV.UK, Report Fraud and eSafety Commissioner provide practical reporting and safety guidance, not a universal rule about courtroom admissibility or chain of custody. A platform’s record, a screenshot, a photograph and a copied message may be treated differently under local law. If you are considering civil or criminal legal action, consult a lawyer, legal-aid service or police in your jurisdiction before altering or distributing material.
Keep originals private, preserve device settings and timestamps where possible, and tell investigators how each copy was made. Do not claim that a screenshot proves who was holding an account; provide the account history and surrounding context so authorities can assess attribution.
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10. After you report
Follow any safety instructions from police or the platform. Continue the timeline if new contact occurs, recording each URL and timestamp. Do not repeatedly engage to generate more evidence. If the sender creates new accounts, add those identifiers to the existing report and mention the previous reference or confirmation.
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Review privacy settings, remove public location information, tell trusted people what to watch for, and consider workplace or school safety planning when the threat identifies those places. If the threat affects your mental health or you fear for someone else, seek local crisis or victim-support services as well as reporting the content.
Frequently asked questions
Should I screenshot an online threat before reporting it?
When safe, a screenshot or photograph can preserve visible wording, account details and context. It is not mandatory for the UK Police.uk route, and some apps notify the other person when a screenshot is taken. Preserve the URL and report immediately if capturing the screen could increase risk.
What information should I save from a threatening message?
Save the original message when safe, then record the sender, subject line or username, platform, profile and message URLs, date and time, exact wording, surrounding conversation and any related incidents. Note what you could not preserve and why.
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Should I report an online threat to the platform or the police?
Usually both when the conduct may be criminal, involves violence, stalking, extortion or immediate danger. Use the platform’s current reporting tool for removal and account action, and contact the appropriate local authority for safety and investigation. Emergency danger takes priority over both reporting forms.
What if the threat has already been deleted?
Report it anyway. Provide the account identity, URL if known, approximate date and time, exact wording you remember, witnesses and any notification or email copy. Explain that the content disappeared before you could preserve it; do not attempt to provoke the sender into reposting it.
The Bottom Line
Protect people first, preserve the original and its context when safe, report through the platform and the correct local authority, and never capture or circulate sexual imagery that may involve anyone under 18.
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