Causeway Coast & Glens police advice on 'sextortion'

Detective Sergeant Gardiner said: “Sextortion is a form of blackmail where a perpetrator threatens to reveal intimate images of the victim online unless they give in to their demands. These demands are typically for money or further intimate images.

"Criminals might befriend victims online by using a fake identity and then persuade them to perform sexual acts in front of their webcam. Criminals who then threaten to share the images with the victims’ friends and family. This can make the victims feel embarrassed and ashamed, and prevent them from coming forward to report the incident.

“We would urge anyone who has been the victim of cyber related blackmail to come forward and report it to police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. Even though it may be embarrassing, anybody who is the victim of such a crime should be reassured that we are able to deal with it.”

ADVICE: Don’t share intimate videos online; Don’t get lured into compromising situations such as removing clothes or performing intimate acts online; Remember that what goes online may well stay online; Be wary about who you invite or accept invitations from on social networking sites; Don’t accept friendship requests from complete strangers; Update the privacy settings on social networking accounts so only people you know can view your account; Don’t include any sensitive, private or confidential information in profiles; If you use online dating sites, choose those that offer the ability to email prospective dates concealing both parties' true email addresses.

Also on dating sites, set up a separate email account that does not use your real name, using such providers as Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or Gmail; Quickly block nuisance and fraudulent users from further contact with you and also report them for abuse; If you become a victim of this type of scam, do not respond to the blackmailer's demands, but report the issue to the police and the relevant social networking site; If you think that you have been persuaded by anyone to part with payment details, contact your bank or card issuer immediately.

Advice can be found on the Get Safe Online website at https://www.getsafeonline.org or https://www.psni.police.uk/advice_information/sextortion/

Call 101 with any concerns.