Nottinghamshire Police has issued a warning to users of social media to remain vigilant to potential 'sextortion' blackmail attempts.

The Service has received a spate of reports in recent weeks following threats to post intimate videos or faked photographs of victims online.

'Sextortion' refers to cyber-enabled crime where victims are lured into performing sexual or intimate acts, which are then recorded by the offenders.

Those targeting them then threaten to make the footage public or to share it with the victims' families unless they pay them.

In other instances, offenders threaten to mock-up intimate pictures of victims using photos taken from online.

Nottinghamshire Police received 15 reports of sextortion attempts in April 2023 alone, involving male and female victims aged 14-59.

Detectives fear the actual number of cases is far higher as some victims may feel too embarrassed to report it or even end up paying the demanded sum.

Last month, a teenager in the Nottingham area sent a sexualised video to someone he believed to be a genuine person and was left feeling panicked and scared when the blackmailer demanded £5,000. When the 18-year-old said he didn't have that kind of money, the video was sent to a close family member and friends.

In another Nottingham case, an intimate image was sent to a victim's mother and she called the police. Other victims have found out after friends contacted them to say they'd received images, leaving the victims mortified.

One blackmailer told a student he would send an image to his followers on Instagram unless he paid £600. The student deactivated his Instagram account so instead the blackmailer sent the image to his university's Instagram account, causing him distress.

Meanwhile, a man in his 40s was targeted after a blackmailer hacked into his Facebook Messenger account and found intimate images he'd received from his girlfriend.

Inspector Matthew Basford, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Incidents of this kind have been extremely distressing for victims. As such, we are investigating every case with a view to bringing offenders to justice.

"Cases of sexual extortion are sadly taking place around the country, but, following a series of reports in Nottinghamshire, we are taking this opportunity to remind people of ways they can prevent themselves falling victim.

"I would also encourage parents to speak to their teenage children to ensure they are aware of the risks and take steps to protect themselves, such as ensuring their security settings on social media accounts are up-to-date.

"Any victims of unreported offences should contact police. Officers take reports of this kind seriously and each case will be dealt with in confidence with no judgement made."

Some of the top tips being given out by the police to help individuals to prevent themselves from falling victim to sextortion blackmail attempts include: being careful about who you befriend online; updating security settings and adopting strong passwords; not sharing intimate images or videos online; screenshotting any usernames, email, contact details or other information that relate to the suspect; and not paying up but cutting all contact with the blackmailer and reporting it.

Anyone who has been a victim of attempted sextortion can contact Nottinghamshire Police by clicking here. Anyone under 18 years old should speak to an adult they trust immediately for support, they can also get in touch with CEOP (the police Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command) by clicking here.