'Sextortion' drives desperate suicide

london - At least four British men have committed suicide last year after they had been victims of 'sextortion 'extortion with nude images obtained via the Internet by criminals. The victims were driven to despair by their blackmailers, British media reported Wednesday on the basis of an alarming report from the National Crime Agency.

The police has started a campaign to warn of the phenomenon, because the number of registered cases has increased dramatically, from 385 in 2015 to 864 this year, ITV reported. The actual number of victims is probably higher because shame keeps to report many victims.

Especially young men are victims. They are encouraged through dating apps and sites to sexual acts by criminals posing as attractive women. They are then blackmailed the webcam images.

' I wake up every morning asking if that video still exists or not, '' said a victim to ITV. ' I can commit to imagine why people here suicide. ''