A number of Horsham men and one teenager have fallen prey to online sextortion scams but police warn that figure is likely to be higher.
Police said they were contacted by nine males between the ages of 14 and 30 after they were targeted by cybercriminals, between January and August this year.
Horsham police officer Leigh Creasy suggested the actual number of victims would be a lot higher.
"There's a lot of embarrassment around it because people would not come and report it to us," Senior Sergeant Creasy said.
He said the problem, which involved people being coerced into sending intimate photos and being blackmailed for money to prevent their photos being released, had been going on for some time.
He said men were contacted on social media by someone who purported to be female and sent nude pictures.
"In return [the men] will be asked to send nude pictures of themselves," Senior Sergeant Creasy said.
He said the scammers would also ask for a "face picture" so they had a full picture of the victim.
Paying is no guarantee
"Once they have that picture, they'll turn on [the men] straight away and make threats to expose them if they don't pay money," Senior Sergeant Creasy said.
He said some victims had paid the scammers but it did not guarantee the threats would stop.
"What happens is you pay, and they'll ask you again, and again, and again, and they'll keep going until you can't pay anymore and then they'll still release their photos."
He said the scammers would look through the victim's Facebook friends and identify friends and family they could release photos to.
"Unfortunately, if you've done it you're just going to accept the fact that you're going to be exposed," he said.
In a statement, Victoria Police said they received more than 100 reports from families where cybercriminals had coerced children, mainly teenage males, into sending them explicit images before extorting them for money.
