Online Blackmail Warning
North Yorkshire Police are warning people about an online scam.
North Yorkshire Police are warning people about an online scam.
They say a number of people are being targeted by a woman on Facebook who is then asking the men to Skype her.
She records them performing an indecent act and then asks them to send her ÂŁ3000.
Detectives are exploring the possibility that the scam is operated by an organised crime group and any number of false names could be used.
Officers have reiterated their warning to members of the public, in particular students, to be on their guard and not to befriend anyone on the internet who they do not know or pass intimate photos or videos of themselves to anyone.
A similar thing happened to one North East man who we are not naming.
He said: “At that point I didn’t know how to deal with it, I didn’t know anything about it. I just felt angry, scared and afraid.”
Acting Detective Sergeant Matthew Wilkinson, said: “We can’t emphasise strongly enough how important internet safety is. Please don’t leave yourself vulnerable to online criminals.
“The victims in these cases have been left extremely distressed by what’s happened to them and I urge everyone using social media to be on their guard and to please be careful when it comes to sharing images.
“Not only can criminals use the images to blackmail you, but once they have been uploaded to the internet, they are virtually impossible to remove.”