Delta police are warning that several males have reported being targeted by an extortion scam involving nudity that appears to be originating from overseas.

Suspects are contacting teenage or adult males through social media to develop a relationship, often through messaging apps with free video calls.

One man reported to police that during a conversation he was having with a female from overseas reached a point where she showed herself partially undressed and encouraged the man to do the same.

The female then claimed to have recorded the interaction and demanded $1,500 to be sent to her through a digital transfer process or else she would post the video on social media.

However, the man didn’t transfer the money and contacted the Delta Police Department instead.

Investigators found that the female suspect's social media account was fake.

Three other cases of this scam have been reported to Delta police. In these other instances, the victims did not share any revealing images but received threats that their faces would be Photoshopped on to naked photos.

All of the suspects appear to originate in the Philippines.

Police are warning anyone to take precautions when engaging in online relationships, particularly any situations that involve nudity, and that if money is transferred, it may be impossible to recover it.

In August 2018, Burnaby RCMP reported a spike in the number of sextortion attempts in Metro Vancouver since May.  

More information about extortion scams is available at the Canada Anti-Fraud Centre website.