Hampshire Constabulary is highlighting advice that can help save lives of anyone involved in a case of sextortion.
Police are campaigning to raise awareness of sextortion, which is a form of cybercrime and blackmail during which victims are lured into performing sexual acts in a front of webcam or a camera on a smartphone.
The victims are unaware their actions are being recorded by criminals who then use the video footage in an attempt to blackmail individuals. Sextortion offenders typically threaten to upload video recordings to the internet, sending the footage to a victim’s family and friends if demands, usually for money, are not met.
Who is affected by sextortion?
Hampshire Constabulary’s senior lead officer on preventing cybercrime and protecting its victims is Detective Chief Inspector Paul Gelman. He said:
“Sextortion is a crime that involves the deception, manipulation and intimidation of someone with distressing and devastating effects. The consequences can be as severe as suicide and self-harm.
“Victims we know about already are mainly young men aged between 17 and 23; they are targeted by offenders claiming to be women asking to be friends on social media. Discussions online attempt to seduce, entice and entrap a victim into sexual behaviour that escalates on camera to an extent where blackmail threats are made.
“Younger men do not always have the emotional strength to cope with blackmail. Therefore, a key purpose of our campaigning is to give more victims the confidence to confide in police about any situations or threats they’ve encountered.
“Our research to date suggests that sextortion is hugely under-reported as a crime. More than 100 offences of this nature were recorded by Hampshire Constabulary during 2015, and we want to ensure police and our partner agencies have the best possible understanding of how this threat is endangering lives so our service to victims is effective and consistent.
“Our campaigning is also focused on increasing awareness of the warning signs so more people can avoid putting themselves in a vulnerable situation where they could be exploited and extorted in a way that could have lasting repercussions for their life.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank every partner agency that has assisted Hampshire Constabulary in reinforcing its service to the victims of this appalling crime.”
How to report sextortion
If you have been affected by sextortion, contact Hampshire Constabulary by phoning 101. Mini-com users can phone 18001 101. In a life-threatening emergency, always dial 999.