[Nosmas]

POLICE have received at least 32 reports involving foreign women who attempted to extort money from victims following cybersex sessions over webcams, according to a police statement yesterday. In the reports made from January to last month, the suspects had threatened to post photos or videos of the victims.

This marks a threefold increase from the 11 such cases reported for the whole of last year. The victims are Singaporean men, said a police spokesman.

The female foreign suspects would usually get acquainted with their victims through social-networking websites like Tagged.com and Facebook.

Thereafter, they would start a webcam conversation with the victims.

They would initiate cybersex by undressing themselves, before persuading the victims to appear nude or perform sexual acts in front of the webcams.

Unknown to the victims, the suspects were recording the acts and later threatened to circulate the compromising photos or videos of the victims, in order to extort money from them.

The public is advised to be wary of messages from unknown people in online interactions, and not to accede to any request that may put them in a vulnerable position, said the police.

Call the police if anyone attempts to extort money from you.