Local man blackmailed out of £200 in ‘sextortion’ scam

A local man was blackmailed out of £200 by an online fraudster he met on social media in a cyber ‘sextortion’ scam.

A spokesman for the Royal Gibraltar Police described how the pair met on Facebook and after messages were exchanged, the woman proceeded to blackmail her victim.

The scam typically involves men being duped into engaging in explicit online activity which is then used against them, although it can also involve fake, doctored images of victims.

The spokesman said fraudster threatened to send images to the man’s online contacts.

At first the fraudster asked for £200 and assured the man the images would not be shared if he paid, which he did.

But the blackmail continued, this time with the fraudster asking for the higher sum of £5,000 not to share the images.

The man refused to pay and reported the matter to the Royal Gibraltar Police.

The RGP advise the public not to share information with strangers on the internet, to remain aware of privacy when on social media and to report any incidents.

The spokesman added the matter is currently being investigated.