(KRON) -- The Alameda Police Department is warning residents about a rise in sextortion scams. The scam, according to police, begins with scammers reaching out to victims through social media or dating apps.

Once a connection is established, the scammer typically tries to quickly move the conversation to text messages or another platform. Once the scammer has lured the victim off-platform, police say they quickly try to steer the conversation from casual to inappropriate.

The goal of the scam, police say, is to obtain explicit photos of the victim. Once the scammer gets those, they demand money in exchange for keeping the photos private.

In order to increase the pressure, the scammers have been known to send screenshots of the victim's follower list as a scare tactic. The scam has been

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