WE ALL use the internet and rely on it more and more for everything from holidays and banking to online dating.

Throughout lockdown, we have seen an increase in online sextortion cases, leaving victims extremely distressed, embarrassed and, in some cases in the UK, people have taken their own lives.

It is really important that you know who you are talking to and sharing images and video content with.

The most common crime is where an attractive female befriends a male and quickly builds a rapport. They then ask to take this chat a step further and seek to engage in sexual acts online, all the while videoing what the male is doing. This may seem innocent and fun but it quickly stops and turns into a nightmare. Thereafter, the victim is sent a video of themselves performing this sex act the female has recorded.

Following this chat, threats are made to expose these personal videos and images and share them with all of the person’s friends on Facebook unless they pay a substantial amount of money. A link is then received by email with an account to transfer the money into.

Both men and women can be the victims of this despicable crime and it’s increasing.

There were six victims of this type of crime in East Lothian in the last year, with many more going unreported. All the victims were men.

The best way to stop yourself from becoming a victim is to be very careful about who you befriend online, especially if you are considering sharing anything intimate with them.

The majority of these crime are perpetrated by organised crime groups from overseas. It’s a low-risk way for them to make money and they can reach victims very easily. The victims are also very embarrassed and pay this money to prevent the images being shared. However, usually when they are paid they come back asking for more.

If this has happened to you, don’t panic, you are the victim here. Seek support from family or trusted friends and contact the police. There are professionals out there who can help you. It’s your choice but my advice is not to pay, as that usually just leads to more requests for money and they could still post the images after you have paid.

Away from the sextortion, I am seeing more and more complaints of indecent images being shared, particularly between young people who initially consented to the image being taken or shared. This is often referred to as ‘revenge porn’.

Let me be clear: it is an offence to share any indecent image or video without the person’s permission. It’s also a very serious offence to make, distribute, possess or show indecent images of anyone aged under 18, even with the consent of that person. We will always investigate these reports and take a robust stance.

My advice is always this: do not share any image with someone you would not want your family or friends to see, as very often they reappear when you don’t want them to.

There are lots of support agencies out there; don’t suffer in silence and report any concerns to the police.