Fifty-five persons have sought police assistance in the first six months of the year after they became victims of sexual blackmail, the police said in a statement. Most of them are men aged between 18 and 50.

In most instances, the victim would have accepted a request by an unknown person to send photos or use a webcam while in the nude. After such exchange of an intimate nature, the victim starts to be blackmailed by the other person, and money is demanded for such information/video/photos not to be made public.

The police have appealed to the public not to fall victim to these kinds of tricks. Information passed on digitally can end up in the wrong hands, the police said, and so great caution must be exercised.

The police also said that no money should be given out and no credit card numbers exchanged; instead, any victims must report the matter immediately to the police.

The police have also issued a video to raise more awareness.