Crown Capital Management

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Cases of cyber blackmail are less prominent than cyberbullying but can have the same devastating impact on victims. Arrests have been made over online blackmailing attempts where hackers have corrupted the websites of large companies and demanded money, but individual cases are less well known.

Blackmailers threaten to send embarrassing or incriminating images of someone which have been captured through a webcam to friends, family or colleagues unless money is paid, but because of the nature of cases they are rarely reported.

One children's charity said Daniel Perry's death is the first time it has come across cyber blackmailing and called for more education for young people. NSPCC policy analyst Claire Lilley said: "We've seen plenty of cases coming through ChildLine where children are experiencing serious cyberbullying at the hands of their peers and also being groomed by sexual predators, but this is the first time we have really seen extortion happening, via the internet, of a young person.

"Children and young people love the internet to learn, explore and connect with people like them all over the world. But it's about teaching them that not everyone is who they say they are and teaching them how to respect one another in terms of their behaviour online."

Research published last year exploring dating site scams, which have typically persuaded victims to send money, shows scammers are now focusing more on social networking sites - blackmailing victims with photos, videos and records of explicit or incriminating chats.

The research by Professor Monica Whitty of the University of Leicester confirmed the profound psychological impact on victims, describing the "double hit" experienced by victims through loss of money and romantic prospect.

Other victims reported missing the relationship even when they knew it was a scam, with heterosexual men expressing feelings of shame that they felt emotionally attached to someone revealed to be male.

"Awareness might be a preventive measure, but one of the problems is that victims had told that they were being scammed and it didn't stop them, so it has to be a message that individuals buy i