Frequently Asked Questions

Making a CyberTipline Report

The sexual exploitation of children should be reported to the CyberTipline, including:


  • Nudes or sexual images/videos of a child; 
  • Someone chatting online with a child about sex;
  • Sexual abuse of a child that occurs offline;
  • Someone seeking or offering a child for sexual acts in exchange for something of value (e.g., money, food, gas, shelter, clothing, drugs);
  • Unwanted sexual emails or texts either involving children or sent to a child;
  • Websites or domains that contain sexual content but have similar names or URLs to mainstream sites that may be misleading to children;
  • Websites or domains that have sexual content (words or images) embedded in them which minors might see;
  • And other forms of sexual exploitation of a child not listed here.

You should make a CyberTipline report if you are, or were at the time, under 18 and may have been the victim of sexual exploitation or abuse. You should also make a report if you have information about the possible sexual exploitation and/or abuse of a child. 

No, you don’t have to share your name or contact information to make a report.  If you do choose to share that information, it can be helpful if a NCMEC staff member or law enforcement has additional questions.   

No, anyone can make a report of child sexual exploitation or abuse. If possible, please include information about where the incident happened and where you are located so we can make sure the information is made available to the right law enforcement agency. 

Our goal is to review your report and get your report to the law enforcement agency who can best handle it. Here are the steps we take:


  1. Review – Based on information provided, we attempt to quickly identify reports that involve a child in immediate or impending harm and notify law enforcement immediately. We also attempt to identify a possible location or other information useful to law enforcement for all reports.     
  2. Contact and Support – A NCMEC staff member may also reach out to you, if you’ve given your contact details and permission for NCMEC to contact you. We can also connect you with resources for victims and families. 
  3. Refer to Law Enforcement - If a possible specific location has been identified, we will make the report available to law enforcement in that area.  If a local jurisdiction cannot be determined, the report is made available to federal law enforcement for their review.  

In this instance, the CyberTipline is not the best reporting tool to help you because we specialize in working with child sexual exploitation One of the organizations below may be able to assist you:  


  1. Cyber Civil Rights Initiative Crisis Helpline https://cybercivilrights.org/ccri-crisis-helpline/
  2. Stop Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse  https://stopncii.org/
  3. FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center https://www.ic3.gov/Home/ComplaintChoice/default.aspx/

Absolutely.  You are taking a brave step coming forward to report sexual exploitation whether it was last week, last month or several years ago.  As long as you or the victim was under the age of 18 at the time of the incident, you can make a CyberTipline report.

If you don’t feel safe and believe that you’re in physical danger, please call 911 so you can get help right away. 

Every CyberTipline report is made available to law enforcement for their independent review and assessment.  We hope this doesn’t stop you though.  Sometimes, the best way to help yourself and protect others is with help from law enforcement.  You are doing the right thing by making a report, please consider taking this step.

Getting Support & Other Questions

Yes, we are here with you every step of the way.  Please call our call center at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  A call center specialist will answer any questions you have and may even refer you to one of our analysts if needed.  We want you as informed and comfortable as possible before making a report.

We have several resources and offer services to help folks just like you (or your child) to notify companies to help get images down or help limit the circulation of images or videos online.  Please make a CyberTipline report for assistance and be sure to leave your contact information so we can reach out to you. You can also use our Take It Down service to help limit the spread of your images online.  Learn more about it here.  And for more information on how to contact the platforms directly, please visit our page here.

Yes, we’re here for you.  Please be sure to include your contact information and indicate on the form that you would like to be contacted by a member of our team and we will reach out to connect you with resources that can help. 

What a scary and uncomfortable experience!  We understand how unsettling and upsetting viewing those images/videos can be.  We offer some guidance on our website located here. If you need additional support, please email [email protected] and we can connect you with helpful resources. 

Using the Form

No, please only provide what you know and what you’re comfortable sharing. Remember though, the more detail you can provide, the more information is available to our staff and to law enforcement to better assist you and identify the offender.  

Unfortunately, we do not save unfinished reports. It will take only a few minutes to complete but can be longer depending on how detailed you would like your report to be and what information you choose to share. Please make sure you have the information you need with you when you start filling out the form.   

No, you cannot attach them to the CyberTipline report you are making but it is important to make a note in the report that you do have them.  We may contact you to discuss what information you have. 

Yes, you may make more than one report if there have multiple incidents involving different offenders. If there were several incidents with one offender, you can also include those in the same report. 

Yes, the CyberTipline reporting form has a mobile version.

Yes, when you click on the reporting form you’ll see a language selection tool in the upper right hand corner.  Please make your language selection there. You can also call NCMEC and speak to someone in Spanish. (“También, puedes llamar a NCMEC y hablar con alguien que habla español.”)

Unfortunately, we can’t cancel a CyberTipline report once it’s been submitted.  

Yes! After you make a report, you will receive a report number that you can use to make updates to your report.  Please contact us at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) with that number and other details from your report like your contact information, if provided, or specifics of the incident you reported.  We can help add your additional information.  

After a CyberTipline is made available to law enforcement, we do not always have access to next steps or outcomes, so we are unable to provide that information. However, if you provide your name and contact information, you may hear from a NCMEC analyst or law enforcement if they have questions or need additional information related to your report.