Gardaí are advising anyone who finds themselves the victim of "sextortion" not to pay the blackmailer.
The force is raising awareness of the scam, which sees criminals convince victims to share intimate photos with them and then threatens to post it online, unless they pay a ransom.
Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Michael Walsh says the first step in a sextortion case is reporting the crime.
"For anybody who might find themselves in this position, the first thing to do will be to contact an Garda Siochana.
"We have dedicated cybercrime units now who deal with a lot of this type of crime or any type of frauds and scams, so that should be your first port of call.
"And the next advice I give to anybody is do not pay any ransom."
