PSNI investigating explicit image blackmail scams in County Derry

The PSNI are investigating several incidents of explicit image blackmail scams in County Derry in recent weeks.

The incidents primarily occurred in the Derry city and Magherafelt areas and involved gaining the trust of teenagers or young adults and asking them to send nude photos/videos or perform acts on a video call.

Once they have the intimate images or photos they attempt to coerce the victim into paying blackmail money by threatening to send the material to the victims social media contacts.

A County Derry victim of one of these crimes who wished to remain anonymous told the County Derry Post about their experience.

“They were threatening to send [the explicit material] and showing me different people they said they had already sent it to,” said the victim.

“If I didn't send the money, they kept threatening me and said if I didn't send them the money they said it would 'go viral '.”

They said they experienced some 'dark thoughts' following the incident .

“It leaves you in a complicated place where you feel too embarrassed to contact anyone for help - you feel ashamed and it just leaves a lot of dark thoughts going through your head,” the victim added.

In some cases the perpetrator may demand more intimate material as opposed to money.

Detective Sergeant Gingell said the perpetrators of this crime, known as ‘sextortion’, will often gain the trust of victims before blackmailing them .

“Criminals might befriend victims online by using a fake identity and then persuade them to perform sexual acts in front of their webcam,” he said.

“Criminals then threaten to share the images with the victims’ friends and family. This can make the victims feel embarrassed and ashamed, and prevent them from coming forward to report the incident.

“We believe these types of crimes are generally under-reported and that in some cases, people prefer to pay money rather than contact police,” he said.

The scammers can be located anywhere, with many based overseas according to Sgt Gingell.

“For the criminal, this is a low risk way to make money and they can reach many victims easily online. Criminals will always exploit any opportunity to extort money from unsuspecting members of our community but together we can stop it.

“We would urge anyone who has been the victim of cyber related blackmail to come forward and report it to police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

“Even though it may be embarrassing, anybody who is the victim of such a crime should be reassured that we are able to deal with it,” Sgt Gingell added .