FIVE people in Dorset have fallen victim to revenge porn in the last two months and police are investigating an additional 18 cases of online sexual blackmail.

Two local people have been arrested with police warning that ‘more arrests are likely’.

The figures were released by officers who are warning people to be aware of the possible consequences of online behaviour.

Dorset Police said victims of ‘sextortion’ – where someone threatens to post intimate photos or video online unless money is handed over – are usually male.

On some occasions victims are not even aware their actions are being filmed with a webcam.

Molly Rennie, chairman of the welfare committee at West Dorset Women’s Refuge, urged victims of revenge porn and sexploitation to go to the police.

She said: “This is a new crime. At one time, people wouldn’t talk about domestic abuse but now they feel confident enough to do that, and we need that attitude with these crimes.

“Victims can be male or female, of any age, and perpetrators could be same sex or opposite. People are embarrassed because they have been taken in, but it is not you that has done anything wrong. It is the person who has done it to you. They are the criminal. It is a form of abuse.”

Police advise people not to take off their clothes or perform intimate acts in front of a webcam, and to ensure up-to-date internet security software is installed and switched on.

If the worst has already happened, officers advise not responding to blackmail threats. Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed to report it to police, and if images or video are posted, report it to the social media site, ask for them to be removed and the perpetrator blocked.

Dorset Police director of intelligence, Detective Superintendent Mark Callaghan, said: “The problem we have with locating the perpetrators of sextortion offences is the suspects will often hack in to other people’s accounts and use a variety of methods to disguise their location.

“Most of the offenders are believed to be abroad in a variety of countries including USA, Ghana, Ivory Coast and the Philippines. We have, however, located and arrested two local offenders and more arrests are likely in the near future.”

He added “It is important that the public recognise the potential risks of their online behaviour.”

For more advice, visit cybersafe.dorset.police.uk. If you are a victim of revenge porn or sextortion, report it to police on 101.