Cambridgeshire Police warning following rise in youngsters being sexually exploited online

Teenagers and children are being urged not to send intimate pictures of themselves to others online, following an increase in the number of ‘sextortion’ cases seen in the county.

A police spokesman said; “We’ve seen an increase in the number of young people across Cambridgeshire sending intimate pictures of themselves to strangers online.

“Once the photos / videos are in the hands of the online fraudsters, they then threaten to share the images with the sender’s friends and family unless they hand over cash.”

The spokesman said that typically, fraudsters will contact a victim through social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram posing as someone else.

️The fraudster will invite the victim to participate in a video chat either through Skype, Google Hangouts or a similar platform.

️They will then encourage the victim to participate in private acts over webcam, which they record.

️Immediately afterwards, the fraudsters will contact the victim demanding payment either via a money transfer or Bitcoin.

The police spokesman said; “If this happens to you:

“️Don’t panic - you are the victim in this case and we can help.

“️Don’t pay - there is no guarantee the scammer won’t share the images anyway or come back with further demands.

“️Stop communicating with the fraudster.

“️Call police on 101, we can help.”

For more information visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/kidnap-and-extortion/sextortion-webcam-blackmail