Dyfed-Powys Police is warning social media users to be wary of online ‘sextortion’ following a report from a Pembrokeshire man.

Sextortionists blackmail victims by threatening to post explicit footage of them on the internet or send footage to family and friends.

The most recent target in the Dyfed-Powys force area – a young man from Pembrokeshire – reported the incident to police after being encouraged into a video sex chat and then receiving a demand for £200 or the footage would be sent to family and friends.

He didn’t part with any money.

Detective Sergeant Rob Gravelle of the Dyfed Powys Police Cybercrime Team said: “Offenders often target and befriend their victims via facebook before moving onto a platform, such as Skype, where the activity can be captured on video. Once they have this video they will attempt to blackmail the victims into sending money, usually into an offshore account.”

Investigating officer PC Hannah Garnie said: “The best way to prevent these criminals from committing such offences is by not taking part in such activity. The moment you take part you become vulnerable to exploitation by criminals.”

Take the following steps to avoid this type of crime:

• Know who you are inviting or accepting invitations from on social media: don’t accept friend requests from total strangers

• Ensure privacy settings on your social networking accounts are set to only allow friends to view your profile

• Never get lured into anything in front of your webcam. Always remember that what goes online may stay online

• If you do become a victim of this type of scam, do not respond to the blackmailer’s demands. Instead report the issue to the police and the relevant social networking site.

Further advice is available via https://getsafeonline.org/social-networking/webcam-blackmail