Police launch campaign after 'sextortion' reports increase by nearly 700% in Nottinghamshire
More than 100 reports have already been made to Nottinghamshire Police this year
Nottinghamshire Police have launched a new campaign to prevent more young people from falling victim to 'sextortion', after reports jumped by nearly 700% in the past few years.
Reports of the crime have increased from 80 in 2019 to a staggering 547 in 2023, and more than 100 calls have already been put into police in the county this year.
Sextortion sees criminal gangs disguise themselves online, usually as young and attractive women, to exploit mainly young men aged between 14 and early 20s on social media.
They will usually try and identify with the victim through private messages, such as mentioning they are studying at a particular university and school.
After starting a conversation and gaining the trust of their victim, the criminals will try and persuade them to send intimate images - which they'll then threaten to share publicly, often with friends and family, unless they're paid.
Some criminals have even threatened to send material from victims to their school or university social media account.
Sums of up to £5,000 have been demanded. Some victims have paid up to £1,000, with one university student left without any money to pay his rent.
"The tip of the iceberg"
Inspector Dan Evans, who works in public protection for Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This must be a horrific experience for victims. These criminals use well-practiced and sophisticated tactics. They know how to set up profiles that look legitimate and know just what to say to entice a young person in.
“I believe the reports we have received are just the tip of the iceberg. There will be many victims out there who have never reported Sextortion to police, maybe through shame and embarrassment.
“But they have nothing to be ashamed about. They have done nothing wrong. The criminal has lured them into a false sense of security, essentially groomed them, and then threatened to use what they thought was a private and intimate conversation against them.
“I would advise young people to pay close attention to who they are adding on their social media channels and who is following their socials.
“We know these criminals work across all platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, even dating sites such as Tinder.
Raising awareness of the issue
Often, criminals live overseas which makes it difficult for police to prosecute them.
It's why Nottinghamshire Police's new campaign cracking down on the issue is based around raising awareness and educating young people about Sextortion.
Schools’ officers will be delivering Sextortion presentations to children across the city and county, warning them of the dangers and on how to stay safe online.
Posters with a QR code to a new video raising awareness of the issue will be distributed across bars, pubs, nightclubs and other licensed venues across the city centre.
"They wanted thousands of pounds"
Police have shared the story of some victims - including 29-year-old Jack, whose name has been changed for anonymity reasons.
He said: “I don't normally add strangers on social media but decided to accept it on this occasion. The account messaged me first. We talked for a while and got on well.
“I felt like something wasn't right but carried on. We got more intimate and she was sending videos that could only be viewed once on Instagram direct message so I believed the videos had to be real.
“We exchanged photos and videos and then I received a message saying: They have all my details and if I didn't pay them they would send the photos of me to everyone on my Instagram’.
“They then called me. During this phone call, there were two males talking to me.
“They sent a photo to me of one of them holding a phone with the photos I sent on it.
“They were asking for Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Paypal, and they sent over bank details. The males were hovering over the send button of my photos if I didn't send money.
“I sent £1,600 and then the males asked for more money. They wanted thousands of pounds. They asked me to ask people I knew to send me money.
“After around two hours, I hung up the phone call and blocked them straightaway. I called my bank straight after this and they said to go to the police.”
'They told me they would ruin my life'
And it is not just young men that have fallen victim to the scam.
Katie, not her real name, aged 18, went through an eight-month ordeal at the hands of these criminals before she finally contacted the police.
She said: “Around July last year, I came into contact with a guy via Instagram. Initially after speaking for a little while he has convinced me to send him some intimate images and videos.
“I have then sent them and he has then created a collage of them and started asking me for money, initially in the form of gift cards and then also via Paypal.
“They have told me that ‘if I didn’t reply to them, they would expose me and ruin my life’.
“Since this time, they have asked for various amounts of money from me and have been saying each time that he will then delete the video and I will be free of him, but this has not happened, and he has continued to keep asking for more and more money.
“In total I believe I have sent them around £1,000. The last message I received was in March this year but I have not been responding since I reported this to the police.
“The whole incident has affected me quite a lot mentally. It has given me sleepless nights where I cried myself to sleep. I have been okay in my day-to-day life but whenever I received a message from them it worried me for the rest of the day.
“The thought of the content being released worries me, as I would worry how friends and family would react to it if they found out. I would almost feel like a disappointment. I feel like I would have to lock myself away.”
Nottinghamshire Police are currently investigating both incidents.
A team of detectives have arrested a 24-year-old man believed to be behind a Sextortion scam where a Nottingham victim had been targeted.