It can happen to anyone; you swipe right on Tinder, or match with someone on a dating site.

You get to chatting, and it turns out you get along really well. The conversation is flowing like crazy, and they ask you to take the conversation off Tinder, using some sort of excuse like, “I don’t check my Tinder often enough, and I’d love to keep on chatting to you,” or, “This site/app is really glitchy, can I grab your Snapchat?”

Think twice before you oblige, and remember just because you felt a momentary spark, it doesn’t mean you owe anyone anything, or won’t find someone else to talk to where the conversation flows equally well.

Police officers from the Murrumbidgee Police District Griffith unit have advised the public a local man was blackmailed after exposing his genitals in a video chat on Snapchat.

This happened after having enough conversation to feel comfortable, with a woman who claimed to be from Griffith and worked for a business on Banna Avenue.

They interacted over a video chat, which the man did not realise the woman had recorded.

The woman then exits the call.

Minutes later, the man received a video of him revealing his privates, which had been uploaded to a YouTube account belonging to the woman.

The man was told the video had not yet been made available for public viewing but if he did not pay $500, it would be.

He said no, and then the woman handed over a list of the man’s Facebook friends and told him she would send the video to everyone he knew on Facebook if he did not pay.

The man transferred the money to the woman via Wise, a cash transference app.

After the handover, the target deleted the woman extortionist from all modes of contact.

This poor man just thought he was having a private interaction with a willing participant.

Issues like this can prove to be really embarrassing to talk about, but if he hadn’t come across an absolute low life, he would have been doing what lord knows how many singles do when they come across what they feel is a good prospect on the internet.

It can be so easy to forget it’s the internet, can’t it?

People need to know they are not alone.

According to recent data, around 40 per cent of Australian online dating users report being targeted by some form of dating scam, with romance scams being the most common type, accounting for 47 per cent of all online dating scams; victims in Australia are reported to lose nearly $12,000 on average when targeted by such scams.

People can be so slick, so insidious. But it is important to try and keep in mind the importance of your safety.

Never share personal information or photos with someone you don’t know and trust, especially photos or webcam calls of a private nature.

If an online match wants to communicate with you outside the dating website, such as through a private email address or over the phone, be wary.

They could be trying to avoid detection, and if a prospect is genuine, they will not care if you take steps to protect yourself.

If you are considering meeting in person, choose a public place and let family or friends know where you are at all times.

Break out your inner detective and run a Google Image search to check the authenticity of any photos provided. Scammers often don’t stop at extortion, often they’ve pinched some poor innocent person's photos they’ve found online.

Don’t fork over money to someone you’ve met online, especially via money order, wire transfer or international funds transfer – it’s rare to recover money sent this way.

If you gave your account details to a scammer, contact your bank straight away.

If you have fallen victim to this type of thing, know you are not alone. The best thing you can do ids to stop the chat and take screenshots of the text and profile. Do not save or share intimate, illegal, or restricted content with anyone under 18.

Block the account, report the offence to both the social media platform and to police.

Has this happened to you, or someone you know? Have you got news of any kind to share? We want to hear from you! Get in touch via [email protected]