The PSNI are warning of an increase in online blackmailers targeting victims after they share intimate images with fake profiles.
Detectives say that last year they were dealing with an average of 35 to 40 reports of sextortion per month. But a senior officer told Belfast Live they fear many more people are falling victim but do not go to police due to embarrassment.
And a Detective Chief Inspector who heads up a team dealing with the crime says he is aware of people who have taken their own lives or self-harmed after being targeted by the scammers.
Explaining how the crime gangs work, Detective Chief Inspector David McBurney said: “Typically, a person uses a false identity to befriend a victim via social media. The exchange may start with flirting and flattery, but ends with the victim coaxed into sending intimate images or performing sexual acts online, unwittingly in front of a camera.
“Behind the fake and attractive persona, there’s a criminal. These people are often part of sophisticated and organised crime groups, mostly based overseas. They extort their victims by threatening to share those images or recordings unless demands for money are met.
“Innocent people are left feeling humiliated and distressed; but the important message is that help is available.”
DCI McBurney said he is aware of cases in Northern Ireland were the scammers have continued to demand money even after what was supposed to be a ‘one off’ payment was made. He added that criminals have also released images anyway even after money was handed over, showing that it is better to come forward to police as soon as you are targeted.
The gangs “troll websites just to see who’ll bite”, he added, so that they target large numbers of people in the hope that some will fall for the scam.
The detective said that the targeting “begins with a bit of flirting, but ends up with those people being blackmailed, being humiliated, embarassed, even harming themselves. In the past we know that unfortunately people have taken their own lives over this”.
He said that the amounts of money demanded vary, but warned “once they’ve got the hook in you, you can’t get away. We’ve had numerous occasions where these blackmailers have come back looking for more and more money”.
The DCI admitted that the PSNI is raising the profile of the crime to stop people falling into the trap because once they do it is difficult to pursue those responsible despite ongoing work with the National Crime Agency and international agencies. The police, he added, “can’t demand pictures are taken down” by approaching social media companies. Victims, he added, should make sure they inform the relevant site if targeted.
In 2021, the PSNI received an average of between 35 and 40 reports of sextortion per month. Looking at UK wide figures “you can see a real increase due to lockdown”, DCI McBurney added.
The PSNI says that overwhelmingly, 94% of the overall reports were from males. The most targeted group was men aged 18 to 29, who accounted for approximately 48% of the total reported incidents.
Detective Chief Inspector McBurney added: “My message, in the first instance, is simply to be on your guard. Please be aware of the risks of sharing intimate images online; and if someone is pushing you to do this, then alarm bells should be ringing.
“But no one is invincible, and if you’ve been a victim of sextortion, then you’re certainly not alone. Don’t panic; don’t respond to demands; and don’t enter into further communication. If you can, confide in a trusted friend or family member; and please contact officers immediately on 101.”
The Police Service has issued online safety advice, which includes:
*Don’t get lured or pushed into compromising situations. Trust your gut, and end uncomfortable situations immediately.
*Always remember that what goes online may well stay online.
*Be wary about whom you invite or accept invitations from on social networking sites. Do not accept friendship requests from complete strangers.
*Update the privacy settings on your social networking accounts so only people you know can view your account. Do not include any sensitive or private information in profiles.
