On a day synonymous with hearts and flowers, detectives are urging the public to get wise to the amorous advances of online fraudsters

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has chosen Valentine’s Day to kick-start a campaign that, over the coming weeks, will ask local people to be on their guard against heartless scammers.

The warning comes in response to increasing reports of online blackmail of an intimate or sexual nature. This blackmail is commonly known as ‘sextortion’.

Detective Chief Inspector David McBurney said: “Typically, a person uses a false identity to befriend a victim via social media. The exchange may start with flirting and flattery, but ends with the victim coaxed into sending intimate images or performing sexual acts online, unwittingly in front of a camera.

“Behind the fake and attractive persona, there’s a criminal. These people are often part of sophisticated and organised crime groups, mostly based overseas. …

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