Many people have been warned about a new trend whereby internet scammers now use webcam videos to blackmail and extort money from people.
S*x predators are now blackmailing at least 30 Brits a day by trapping them in webcam s*x stings, reports Sun UK. The incident is not peculiar to Britain alone. As a result of this new scam, some of the victims have been forced to commit suicide.
A Daily Mirror investigation has found out that shocking number of Britons fell for the scams, led by foreign gangs, police have said. And four people have killed themselves after they were tricked into performing sex acts.
According to investigation, some of these notorious gangs are often based in Africa or Asia and use stolen picture to create fake profiles. The report states that some of the victims are made to believe they are having genuine video calls with real people without knowing they are conversing with scammers who threaten and blackmails them into parting with cash or be exposed.
However they are recorded and told the footage will be made public unless they send money. One teen fooled by an Ivory Coast gang told his blackmailer: “I’d rather go and shoot myself, you f***ing trash making people do this.”
He was then found dead after writing: “I was getting blackmailed by someone for £800 so they sent a video around of me and ruined my life. I am so sorry … but this is the only way out.”
The NPCC said last year gangs were making millions from the scam, with thousands of victims too afraid to come forward. Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) warned Britain is being targeted by gangs in Morocco, the Philippines and the Ivory Coast.
Criminals are running factory-style centres with “honey trap” actors, blackmailers and financial centres for laundering money. Ransom demands range from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds.
Victims are targeted on social media sites including Facebook, dating sites and even LinkedIn. Most appear to single out victims based on their “ability to pay” and because “they have something to lose”.
Met Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt, the lead officer on adult s*x crime, said previously: “We have had four young men who have killed themselves because they saw no way out.
“This is being organised by well-equipped, often offshore groups.”