HAMPSHIRE Constabulary is campaigning to raise awareness of sextortion – a form of cyber crime and blackmail which lures its victims into performing sexual acts in a front of webcam or a camera on a smartphone.

The victims are unaware they are being recorded by criminals who use video footage to blackmail them.

Sextortion offenders often threaten to upload video recordings to the internet, sending the footage to a victim’s family and friends if demands for money, are not met.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Gelman, who heads Hampshire Constabulary’s cyber crime team, explained: “Sextortion is a crime involving deception, manipulation and intimidation of someone with distressing and devastating effects. The consequences can be as severe as suicide and self-harm.

“Victims are mainly young men aged 17-23. They are targeted by offenders claiming to be women asking to be friends on social media. Discussions online attempt to seduce, entice and entrap a victim into sexual behaviour that escalates on camera to an extent where blackmail threats are made.

“Younger men do not always have the emotional strength to cope with blackmail. Our key purpose is to give more victims the confidence to confide in police about any situations or threats they encounter.”

Det Chief Insp Gelman added: “Sextortion is hugely under-reported as a crime. More than 100 offences were recorded by us during 2015, and we want to ensure our officers have the best possible understanding of how this threat is endangering lives.”

The police urgently want to increasie awareness of the warning signs so people can avoid putting themselves in vulnerable situations where they could be exploited and extorted in a way with lasting repercussions for their life.”

Sextortion victim Gary explained how he was lured into the sextortion trap. The teenager was working night shifts meaning he could not meet up with friends and had no social life.

He went online to meet people, visiting different dating websites.

“This made me happier. I felt better,” he added. “One of the people I’d been talking to suggested I go onto Skype. They seemed persistent, which in hindsight was the first warning sign.

“I was receiving quite a few messages, once a day or twice a day.”

The woman asked for his Facebook profile and picture. He said: “She looked similar to her profile picture.

One Skype call lasted for 30-45 minutes. Gary said: “She said: ‘Show me a bit more, and show your face’.

“Then the messages came up – ‘pay £500 or this is going over Facebook.’”

The crook then listed Gary’s friends’ details. He said: “I said I could not afford £500, she said £200 was the lowest. I could only pay £50.

“I offered to go to the bank but went to the police instead. I was trembling throughout, shaking and thinking ‘what’s going to happen? – This will ruin my life. What’s going to happen with my job? What will my friends think?’ I did not know what to do.”

“I thought about suicide, it would have been too embarrassing. I would not have been able to face anyone.

“But I went to the police, and kept her talking by saying I was at the bank.

“Messages came through abusing me and saying ‘I will keep doing it’.

“The police handled it well. They helped me through it. They made me feel better. I needed to talk to someone. Since then I’ve moved on with my life. There is always life afterward.

“But I would not be here today if I had not spoken to anyone.”

Call Hampshire Police on 101 to report a sextortion crime but if life is at risk always dial 999.