61 Hongkongers, including pair of 12-year-old boys, fall victim to ‘sextortion’ scams
- Female criminals lure victims into taking off their clothes during online chats then threaten to release video unless payment made
Two 12-year-old boys were among 61 Hong Kong residents who lost more than HK$1.7 million (US$218,110) over the past week after falling victim to “sextortion” scams and being blackmailed with video recordings that showed them naked.
Revealing details on its CyberDefender Facebook page on Friday, the force said the victims met the fraudsters through dating apps.
“They were lured into naked online video chats, where the fraudsters recorded videos of the victims,” police said. “The scammers then threatened to share these videos publicly if the victims did not pay them money.”
The crime typically involves extortionists – mostly female – taking off their clothes in front of their webcams to entice victims into doing the same.
They then secretly record their victims and threaten to circulate the video online or distribute it to the person’s relatives or friends unless a payment is made.
Police said there were 61 reports of such blackmail over the past week, resulting in losses exceeding HK$1.7 million.