SEVERAL men have fallen victim to online blackmail campaigns over revealing images, police have warned.
The PSNI in Craigavon said it had recently dealt with "multiple" cases of men who had been coaxed into intimate positions via web cameras.
He said organised gangs are behind the blackmail attempts.
A police spokesman said most of the men had been contacted by strangers on chat apps who send a string of suggestive messages before asking the victims to video call them.
"When you do video call them, you see a girl doing something suggestive or enticing and are encouraged to do the same," he said.
"What you don't realise is that they're screen recording, and as you do whatever you're doing, they are capturing everything they need."
The spokesman said the blackmailer then sends the victim a link to a private YouTube video which shows the revealing images. They threaten to send the video to the victim's friends unless they are given hundreds of pounds.
Police warned victims not to pay and contact officers immediately. They also advise people to capture screen shots of any conversations.
"Never engage in any intimate online activity with anyone you don't know," the PSNI spokesman warned.
He added: "If it seems to good to be true, it almost certainly is."
