Man arrested in England as part of investigation into Northern Ireland sextortion

PSNI detectives from Coleraine alongside colleagues in Great Britain arrested a man in the Gloucestershire area earlier this week. He has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Detective Sergeant Rachel Gardiner said: “We want to assure the public that we take these reports seriously and will investigate all lines of enquiry.

“Sextortion is a form of blackmail where a perpetrator threatens to reveal intimate images of the victim online unless they give in to their demands.

“These demands are typically for money or further intimate images. Criminals might befriend victims online by using a fake identity and then persuade them to perform sexual acts in front of their webcam. Criminals then threaten to share the images with the victims’ friends and family.

“This can make the victims feel embarrassed and prevent them from coming forward to report the incident.

“Perpetrators can be located anywhere, targeting a number of people, targeting victims through dating apps, social media or webcams. Many are based overseas. 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 believe these types of crimes are generally under reported and that in some cases, people prefer to pay money rather than contact police. We would urge anyone who has been the victim of cyber related blackmail to come forward and report it to police on 101.”