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Alan Irwin, a 35-year-old from Larne, found himself entangled in a sextortion scam shortly after connecting with someone on Tinder. After several days of chatting, the conversation moved to other platforms, culminating in a video call that turned sexual. Moments after the call ended, Irwin received threatening messages along with a screen recording of the video, demanding money with the threat that intimate footage would be shared with his friends and family. Despite the initial panic, Irwin chose to block the scammer and refused to comply with the demands, emphasizing the importance of staying calm: “If you don’t panic, they’ve no hold over you.”
Irwin shared his experience to raise awareness, particularly among younger people who may be more vulnerable to such scams. He noted that younger individuals might react more strongly to this type of threat. This concern is underpinned by a recent report from the Internet Watch Foundation, which revealed a record number of UK under-18s sought help last year after encountering online sextortion. Irwin’s ordeal was made more concerning by the fact that the scammer’s Tinder profile appeared verified, which gave him a false sense of security. After reporting the incident to police, he found that the scammer had already unmatched and blocked him, deleting all chat history and leaving no trace.
Others in the community have also encountered similar predatory behavior. Cara Hunter, an SDLP assembly member for east Derry, recently accompanied one of her constituents, a young autistic man, to a police interview after he too was targeted by a sextortion scam. Like Irwin’s case, the scammer gained trust over time via a verified Tinder account, then used a video call to record footage for blackmail. Tragically, this individual paid about £1,300 to keep the footage from being shared. Hunter described sextortion as “a real unique form of cruelty to hold something like this over somebody’s head,” and stressed the importance of shifting blame away from victims and onto the perpetrators.
Joanne Barnes, chief executive of Nexus, a charity supporting domestic and sexual abuse victims, highlighted that approximately 45 sextortion cases are reported monthly to the police in Northern Ireland, though the actual figure is likely higher due to victims’ fears of coming forward. Barnes explained that scammers are often patient and calculated, establishing connections to eventually exploit. She commended Irwin’s response and encouraged victims not to seek quick fixes that might worsen the issue. Meanwhile, Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, condemned sextortion as a “horrific crime” and stated its commitment to removing scammer accounts and supporting law enforcement efforts. The Police Service of Northern Ireland also urged victims to report incidents, noting that most victims are young men aged 15-23 and reminding them that they are not alone despite feeling embarrassed or distressed
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