New figures from the UK suggest that so-called 'sextortion' on the internet has reached unprecedented levels.

'Sextortion' is a form of online blackmail. Victims are persuaded to perform sexual acts in front of a webcam. These acts are recorded on video and the victims are told to pay up or be exposed. Most of the victims are men -- between the ages of 18 and 24.

The shocking online rise of so-called 'sextortion' is revealed by police figures, with the number of cases in the UK alone more than doubling to 864 victims in a year.

Britain's National Crime Agency has issued a warning of the dangers with a staged video in which an actress shows how the scam works.

Victims are enticed to perform sex acts in front of a Webcam before this: "You're being blackmailed." "Your contacts have been downloaded; the film will be shared with your friends; your family; your workmates -everyone you know, unless you pay."

On the set of the recording, an NCA officer, his name withheld, says the scam has reached an industrial scale.

Organized crime groups, based mainly overseas, attacking people worldwide not just the UK.   They're making vast amounts of money out of this and it's big business for them.

The brutal reality of this callous Internet scam is that it can happen to just about anyone, anywhere in the world.

In this archive footage from 2014 a raid in the Philippines on a scam call center reveals the level of criminal sophistication involved.

Call center workers, offered cash bonuses and prizes for the number of victims they can entrap.

These scammers were directly linked to the suicide of 17-year-old Daniel Perry.   He jumped from Scotland's Forth Bridge after being targeted online.

Tragically, a criminal industry directly linked to at least four suicides in the UK according to police.

Advice from the experts; how don't pay and get help.

"Stop all contact, don't pay them, if they get a payment they'll continue to get more money out of you," said Carmel Glassbrook, Safer Internet Centre.

"And let go of the shame, you know, things happen and this is a crime, you're a victim of a crime. So go and get some help, the police will support you in this."

And be aware that those online aren't necessarily who they claim to be.