The PSNI has issued advice around the issue of sextortion appealing for anyone who has been "the victim of cyber related blackmail to come forward".
Police believe sextortion - a form of blackmail where a perpetrator threatens to reveal intimate images of the victim online unless they give in to their demands - is under reported and spoke out to raise awareness of the dangers associated with interacting with a stranger online.
The police also issued online safety advice including not sharing intimate videos online, updating privacy settings on social media accounts, and not including any sensitive, private or confidential information in profiles.
A PSNI spokesman said perpetrators can be located "anywhere, targeting a number of people, targeting victims through dating apps, social media or webcams.
"Many are based overseas," he said.
"For the criminal, this is a low risk way to make money and they can reach many victims easily online.
"Criminals will always exploit any opportunity to extort money from unsuspecting members of our community but together we can stop it".
He added: "We believe these types of crimes are generally under reported and that in some cases, people prefer to pay money rather than contact police.
"We would urge anyone who has been the victim of cyber related blackmail to come forward and report it to police on 101 or 999 in an emergency," he said.
"Even though it may be embarrassing, anybody who is the victim of such a crime should be reassured that we are able to deal with it".
