Danger of organized crimes on social media

The police in the Northeast encourage people to be careful when requests for nude photos or videos are made through social media from individuals who are not known friends of the person. In some cases, there could be fake access and behind the account a person involved in organized crime.

This is in an entry on the police’s Facebook page, highlighting Europol’s video clip dealing with digital sexual abuse and extortion.

“The offence involves asking individuals to post a nude photo/video via social media. Usually this is a fake account on social media and behind the account are individuals involved in organized crime. Once the nude photo is submitted, the threat to post and circulate the footage online is used. In most cases, the person is then required to pay or transfer money into a particular account, the entry says.

The police stresses the importance of reporting such offences to the police calling 112.

Then there are some rules to keep in mind in a digital world:

When talking to strangers online, it is important to keep in mind that potentially the person is not the person they say they are.

Don't share personal information such as card details, address and passwords.

Be sure that your privacy settings on social networks are such that photographs and other information are not publicly available.

If you are the victim of an online crime, you need to report it.

The website: www.112.is provides some useful information, such as advice on how to deal with digital crimes against children, education on violence, information on resources for victims of sexual crimes, the welfare of children and general advice on internet safety.

Here below is a Europol video warning of the danger.