The DM Blackmail That Made Me Freak Out For Days

Hey so, I got a story that’s honestly a mix of *what the hell* and *why did I do that*? It’s real, it’s messy, and it’s totally internet & online life disaster level—so buckle up.

So basically, I was just chilling at home, scrolling through my DMs like usual. Nothing exciting, just meme memes and the occasional “hey, how are you?” from some people I don’t really know that well. I used to be kinda bad at clearing things out—I mean, who isn’t? Then, one day, I get a message from this account I don’t recognize. The profile pic is weirdly blurry, and the username is something like “xXDarkLordXx” or whatever, so I immediately think *this is spam, block incoming.*

But curiosity got the best of me, and I’m like, “Eh, maybe it’s some scam or weird prank,” so I open it. And a message pops up: “Hey, I know what you did.” I’m like, what *did* I do? I haven’t even done anything suspicious in a while. So I totally ignore it, thinking that’s just some kinda weird scam.

Then a few minutes later, more messages. Now, I start getting a little freaked out because they’ve seen something I did online that I totally forgot I even posted. I actually used to jokingly tweet some stupid stuff drunk at 2 AM about friends, and I honestly thought I deleted it. Turns out, it wasn’t fully gone. The message said, “We saw your post about…”

*And that’s when I realized it was from someone I’d blocked years ago.* Like, I had blocked this random troll because they kept sending me creepy messages, and somehow, they still managed to get into my DMs. That alone is a lesson in why you should block people completely, folks.

Anyway, here’s where it gets awkward. They start *fishing* for info, saying they have screenshots of my old drunken post and asking for money, or they’d release it. I was like, *whoa*, this is legit blackmail material—I didn’t even think people still did the “pay me or I’ll ruin you” thing online? But it’s real. They threatened to repost my drunk mess on every platform I’m on if I didn’t send them cash or some personal info.

I thought it was a scam, but then it got weird. They sent me *screenshots* of my old post, which, okay, there were some pretty cringe-worthy things—like me calling my boss a “total idiot,” stuff like that. But I was drunk and thought I’d delete everything. I’ll admit, I panicked, and I was like, “No way this is happening.” I started binge-checking all my accounts, changing passwords, doing everything I thought could help.

But here’s the crazy part: I did something stupid—I messaged them back, trying to negotiate. Yeah, I know, I know. But I was freaking out, and I said, “Hey, look, I’ll send you $10 if you promise to delete everything and leave me alone.” *F**k me, what was I thinking?*

They freaked out and replied, “That’s not enough, you scumbag,” and then they upped the ante. They sent me a video—no, not a deepfake—just some random creepy footage they had of a person who looked a lot like me, but it was probably someone else. Still, I could see my face in it, and it was terrifying. For a second, I thought they had footage of me doing something *really* stupid or illegal. Turns out, it was just a cousin messing around, but I nearly had a meltdown.

I didn’t sleep that night. I kept imagining some random stranger sharing this kinda stuff online or showing it to my friends. It was honestly one of the worst feelings. In the end, I blocked them, changed all my passwords, and even bought a VPN. I reported the account, but I highly doubt they’ll get caught, at least anytime soon.

Now, I’m just paranoid every time I log into anything online. Lesson learned? Never assume something simple won’t blow up in your face. Always use strong, unique passwords, and for the love of god, don’t say or post *anything* you don’t want the whole internet to see—because some troll out there might still be lurking, just waiting to use it against you.

And yeah… I still occasionally think about that weird message and wonder if they ever actually did share anything. But luckily, it’s all been quiet since I reported and blocked everything. Still, never trust a stranger’s DM, no matter how convincing they seem.

TL;DR: Got blackmailed by some troll who saw an old drunken tweet, tried to bribe me, then sent creepy footage of my cousin's idiot TikTok that looked *just* like me. FREAKED out, changed all passwords, bought a VPN, and learned my lesson—don't ignore those weird DMs because sometimes they’re real, and they can mess with you big time.

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