GARDAÍ in Limerick are urging people to be careful when communicating with strangers online.
This comes after recent reports of “harmful communications” locally, involving threats posed to a man to publish intimate images of him without his consent.
Last week, a Limerick man in his early 20s received a message from a woman on Facebook who was not known to him.
According to Garda Sergeant Ber Leetch, Crime Prevention Officer at Henry Street Garda Station, the man engaged with the woman and, during the course of a video call with the woman, proceeded to engage in a sexual act.
Sgt Leetch said, following this, the woman terminated the call and “began text messaging the male demanding money or she would share the content of the video call that she had recorded”.
“This type of blackmail must be reported to Gardaí immediately because he was the victim here.
“The woman made repeated threats via Facebook Messenger and Google Chat about sharing the intimate video and continued to demand money,” Sgt Leetch said.
She advised anyone who falls victim to this sort of scam to never hand over money and contact a local Garda station immediately.
“Do not pay over any money. If you do, the demands will never stop and they may share the images anyway.”
Sgt Leetch also said that the sharing of intimate images online should be avoided because, once sent, you have no control over where they may end up or what the intentions of the recipient may be.
“Of course, it is important to say that you must not share intimate images online in the first place because if you do, you lose control of them immediately,” she concluded.
