GARDAÍ are investigating an allegation of a person attempting to extort money from a man after he forwarded a “compromising image” of himself to them online.
The attempted online blackmail occurred in Limerick recently, gardai said.
“Yes, a man in his early 20s from the Roxboro area reported to Gardai that he accepted a friend request from an unknown female on Facebook, and after a number of messages back and forth, the young man forwarded a compromising image of himself to this females account,” explained Sergeant Ber Leetch, crime prevention officer at Henry Street garda station.
“Immediately the female stated that she would circulate his image on social media if he did not forward money to an account and she provided details.”
Sergeant Leetch said she was “happy to say that the young man blocked this female and no money was forwarded but he shouldn’t have sent a compromising image of himself in the first place, especially when he had no idea who exactly he was sending it to”.
“Garda enquiries have been made into this account and it is believed to be located on the Ivory Coast, the young man was told that the female was here in Ireland.”
Sergeant Leetch advised that “if money is sent under these circumstances the person holding the image will just continue to try and get more money, so don’t send any money and report it to Gardai”.
