Northamptonshire Police receives average of four 'sextortion' reports per week
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The county's police force says it currently receives an average of four reports per week, however under-reporting is feared due to embarrassment, which officers say they want to change.
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Hide Ad‘Sextortion’ is the word used to describe blackmail cases where someone is encouraged or tricked into sharing sexual images or videos. The victim is then threatened with exposure unless they send the criminal money or continue sending them content.
A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “We know that there will be far more people out there who have not yet come forward due to the nature of the crime leading to under-reporting.
“In recent months, detectives have been investigating cases involving younger people, aged 16-20, who have been encouraged to send sexual photos and videos in exchange for money.
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Hide Ad“When the young person refuses to send further content, they are then blackmailed into doing so by the criminal who threatens to send recordings of videos or screenshots to the victim’s family and friends.”
Detective Constable Charlotte Orr added: “We believe that a lot of sextortion offences go unreported because the victim feels too embarrassed to come forward.
“Sextortion has even been linked to suicide and self-harm because people feel trapped, unable to talk to anyone, or incapable of asking for help.
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Hide Ad“We want to change that and let victims know that they should not feel ashamed in reporting a sextortion offence, regardless if money has already been exchanged, as it is a crime to blackmail someone.
“If you have shared intimate images and find yourself being blackmailed as a result, please report it immediately to the police and try not to panic - you are a victim and it is not your fault.”
Advice if you have been the victim of ‘sextortion’
- Don’t submit to the blackmailer’s demands or pay them any money as there’s no guarantee that offenders will not post the pictures or recordings, and are in fact more likely to come back with further demands.
- Stop communicating with the blackmailer as replying indicates that you can be persuaded to pay up.
- Keep all the evidence of what has happened to you and report it to the police.
- Report sextortion to Northamptonshire Police by calling 101, or online here.