Skype used for "porn blackmail"

One of the newest scams out there is happening in Italy. Italian police in Genoa have opened an investigation involving four attractive young women who, with the use of social media, strike up online friendships and then entice the victim into increasingly explicit sexual behavior to be recorded by webcam on Skype.

The scammers are culling the victims friends through social media and threaten to send the embarrassing videos to them unless they are paid. The fee charged is €500 [$693].

Given the nature of the offense, police think that many victims are not coming forward to report it.

A similar case was reported in New Zealand. In that case, the scammers were demanding the equivalent of $850 not to publish the video.

Users have to remember that any images released onto the Internet should be considered as effectively in the public domain.