Cheshire Police is urging members of the public to be aware of the growing threat of online blackmail locally.

Officers from Cheshire Police's Economic Crime Unit are urging young people, parents, carers, teachers and guardians to be aware of online blackmail, which can otherwise be known as sextortion, and be able to recognise it and report it.

This comes following recent reports of people targeting victims through social media, messaging apps and online gaming profiles.

Online blackmail commonly involves a criminal threatening to disclose private images, videos or personal information after building a rapport with the victim, unless the victim complies with their demands.

These demands could include further intimate images being sent, money to be paid, cryptocurrency payments, gift cards, or other requests.

Financial Abuse Safeguarding and Prevention Officer with the Cheshire Police Economic Crime Unit, PC Jim Day, said: "Criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the way they target victims online and as we all now spend a lot of time online, it's important to understand the ways in which criminals do this, so these offences can be reported.

"They often create fake profiles, pretending to be someone they are not, and build trust very quickly before manipulating victims into sharing images or personal information.

"Once they have these images or information, criminals will then blackmail the victim into complying with their demands by threatening to share the images and information with others.

"The most important thing to understand if this happens to you, is that it is not your fault. This can happen to anyone, and criminals use these tactics to purposefully take advantage of someone. Remember, online blackmail is a crime.

"These offenders also rely on fear, embarrassment and panic. Victims should never feel ashamed to seek help and support.

"You can report incidents of this nature to Cheshire Police by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency, or you can report online via cheshire.police.uk/tell-us.

"We would also encourage parents, carers and guardians to speak to children and young people about the importance of online safety, privacy settings on social media, and the dangers of accepting friend or message requests from someone they do not know."

Some of the warning signs to watch out for in relation to online blackmail include:

• Online profiles that appear fake or contain very little information.
• Someone attempting to establish a relationship extremely quickly.
• Requests for intimate images or videos.
• Offers of quick money, modelling opportunities or online jobs.
• Threats claiming private images, videos or personal information will be shared.
• Pressure to continue conversations or do something that feels uncomfortable.

If you are being threatened online, remember:

• Do not send any money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or additional images.
• Stop communicating with the offender.
• Block the account.
• Report the account to the platform being used.
• Save evidence, including screenshots of messages and usernames.
• Tell a trusted adult, friend, family member or professional.
• Report the matter to the police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency where there is an immediate risk of harm.
• You can report through Report Fraud if it involves demands for money, gift cards or any other financial gain.

Cheshire Police is also encouraging young people, parents, carers, teachers and safeguarding professionals to be aware of Report Remove.

This is a free service designed to help young people remove images of themselves from the internet.

Created by Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Report Remove allows young people under the age of 18 to report intimate images or videos that have been shared online.

It can't remove images that have been shared privately through messaging apps or ones which are stored on someone's personal device.

Young people who use Report Remove will not get into trouble for reporting an image of themselves. Visit HERE for more information about this service.