Nearly 60 Hongkongers, including four women, were victims of extortion in which they were tricked into undressing during video chats and then coerced into paying more than HK$1.9 million (US$244,430) over the past week.
The force revealed the figures on its CyberDefender Facebook page on Friday, reminding residents to be cautious when meeting people on the internet.
The crime typically involves extortionists – usually women – taking off their clothes in front of their webcams to entice male victims into doing the same.
They then secretly record these acts and use the footage to coerce victims into payment by threatening to share the videos online or with the person’s relatives and friends.
According to police, scammers also masquerade as “highly educated, high-income and physically attractive” handsome men to engage with women on social media.
“They use sweet talk to learn about the victims’ personal lives and interests to manipulate them,” the force said.
