Why cases of blackmail and sextortion are on the rise

Between 2023 and 2024, police recorded a record high of 37,959 blackmail offences in England and Wales but what’s behind the increase in this type of crime? Alexandra McCready is Head of Reputation and Privacy for law firm, Vardags, and joins us to reveal what really goes on behind closed doors when it comes to dealing with blackmail and sextortion.  Plus, how and why the recent papal election process fuelled a new online obsession amongst Gen-Z. The London Standard’s Features writer and columnist, Maddy Mussen is here with the lowdown on PopeCrave, fan-cams and the fan fiction inspired by Conclave. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 9, 2025

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Why cases of blackmail and sextortion are on the rise

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