Gardaí have warned people to be wary about a sex-related internet scam that they said is currently prevalent in counties Roscommon and Longford.
Sergeant Paul McDermott, the Crime Prevention Officer, said that the scam operates by females making contact with males via the internet by using social media such as Skype and Facebook.
“She will have a video conversation with the male via webcam, expose herself to him during the conversation and then encourage him to expose herself to her or even get him to perform a sexual act,” he said.
“Unknown to the man, the video conversation is recorded and shortly afterwards, the man will get a demand for payment or else the threat is made that the video will be posted on Facebook and sent to his family and friends.”
Sergeant McDermott said that there had also been instances whereby even if the man had not exposed himself, intimate screenshots of an unidentifiable male had been sent with threats and a demand for cash.
The calls are believed to originate in the Ivory Coast or nearby countries.
Gardaí have strongly advised people to be very vigilant with regard to this scam.
“People should be extremely wary of responding to requests for video conversations from unsolicited callers and report any attempts to extort cash from them to gardaí,” Sergeant McDermott said.
