A CARMARTHENSHIRE man has become the latest victim of a new online crime labelled “sextortion”.

The 40-year-old held regular internet conversations with what he believed was a Swansea woman, and became involved in a sexually explicit conversation.

The “woman” encouraged him to strip and expose himself to her using his computer’s web camera.

The following day, he was contacted again, but this time his “online girlfriend” informed him she was in fact a man.

He was sent images and video clips of himself committing sex acts and was instructed to transfer cash or face the prospect of having the videos posted on social media, including his own Facebook account.

“I was absolutely horrified,” the man told the Guardian.

“I honestly believed I was talking to a 35-year-old woman from Swansea.

“The conversations went on for weeks and she sent me photos of herself.

“I cannot believe I was so stupid, but I was convinced I was talking to a real person.

“When I received the message demanding money I felt sick.

“I felt so stupid and so ashamed.”

Dyfed-Powys Police are currently investigating a number of reports of online “sextortion” and have warned the public to be wary of becoming involved in online sex chats, particularly where the other person asks for pictures or to see the victim using a webcam.

Members of the public who use the internet are being advised to be wary of online "sextortionists" who blackmail victims by threatening to post explicit footage of them on the internet.

Detective Sergeant Rob Gravelle of the Dyfed Powys Police Cybercrime Team said: “A number of victims have contacted us in the last few weeks reporting that they have been the victim of “sextortion”.

“The victims have been lured into online video sex chats and then sent compromising footage of themselves with demands for money or their footage would posted on the internet and sent to family and friends.”

Offenders often target and befriend their victims via facebook before moving onto a platform, such as Skype where the activity can be captured on video. Once they have this video they attempt to blackmail the victims into sending money, usually into an offshore account.

“The best way to prevent these criminals from committing such offences is by not taking part in such activity,” said DS Gravelle.

“The moment you take part you become vulnerable to exploitation by the criminals.”

Blackmailers have been known to target vulnerable individuals, such as people with a learning disability and those who spend considerable time online.

Officers are urging people to take the following steps to avoid falling prey to this type of crime.

•Know who you are inviting or accepting invitations from on social media. Do not accept friend requests from total strangers

•Ensure that your privacy settings on your social networking accounts are set to only allow friends to view your profile

•Never get lured into anything in front of your webcam. Always remember that what goes online may stay online

•If you do become a victim to this type of scam, do not respond to the blackmailer’s demands, but report the issue to the police and the relevant social networking site.

Further advice is available here.