An attractive woman promising to share pictures of herself could be an AI-generated scam designed to lure and blackmail victims.
Those who reply with nude or compromising pictures of themselves are told if they don't pay up, the images will be shared with their friends and family.
Thousands of Australians are continuing to fall for these sextortion scams as technology makes it harder to tell reality from a carefully constructed lie, government regulator eSafety revealed on Wednesday.
Victims are being told not to pay and instead to collect evidence through screenshots, block and report the account, and seek support.
Threats by offenders are designed to create panic and force quick decisions, eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant explained.
"I have everything to ruin your life," one scammer threatened in a message shared with eSafety.
