With the launch of multiple rounds of lockdown in the UK, more and more people are turning to online chat, which also provides opportunities for sex offenders.
According to the British newspaper Sun on the 9th, between April and June 2020 alone, the police recorded 3,459 cases of cyber sexual extortion, up from 2,609 in 2019 and 1,779 in 2017. Many criminals defraud the victims of private photos and extort money on the grounds of “love”.
Such sexual extortion cases are one-third higher than the same period in 2019, and double that of five years ago. Some victims can’t stand the double pressure of mental and economic, and even choose to commit suicide.
However, only 51 such cases were detected by the police due to the difficulty of obtaining evidence, and in 1,553 cases, the police could not find the suspect at all.
Experts fear that the number of sexual crimes will continue to rise as more people are stuck at home during the third lockdown and frequently use mobile phones and personal computers.
Mae, CEO of the victim mutual aid website Scam Survivors, reminds people to be vigilant and never transfer money to scammers, let alone end their lives easily, no matter how threatening scammers are.
