A MARRIED Borders mum has spoken out after being blackmailed by a man she met on Instagram.

Gail Astin, of Ancrum, met the man online before he threatened to reveal their relationship to her husband.

The fraudster demanded payment after threatening to disclose naked pictures she had sent him to her friends and family.

Mrs Astin parted with over £5,000 before finally confessing to her husband.

She said: “I felt lonely and needed someone to talk to, he caught me at a low point.

“I knew in my head that what I was doing was wrong, but I did still it.

“I can't explain why, I was just in the wrong frame of mind.

“He started asking for more and more, but he promised he would get the money back to me.

“I didn't want to send him any more money but when I said no he told me he would send the photos to my mum, dad, sister and husband.”

Mrs Astin’s story comes as Police Scotland this week launched a campaign to tackle such cases of fraud, known as romance scams.

The campaign, which will run for four weeks, will include social media posts and digital adverts to raise awareness and provide advice on how to spot a fraudster.

Police Scotland figures from April to December 2018 show the number of reported fraud incidents, including romance scams, increased by 21 per cent, from 6,106 the previous year to 7,398.

However, Police fear that the true number of romance scams may be far higher, with victims often embarrassed about speaking out.

Detective Superintendent Nicola Shepherd said: “Romance fraud is largely unreported, and we want more victims to come forward.

“It can have a shattering effect on people who may be embarrassed that they’ve fallen victim to a scam and don’t want to speak about their experience.

“Criminals can be extremely convincing, and they prey on people who are emotionally vulnerable, particularly online.

“There are warning signs for these scams and one of them is a request for money.

“Don’t send money to someone you’ve never met, or even recently met, regardless of the story they tell you.

“We need to raise awareness of this type of crime and encourage people to speak to us, so we can gather evidence and target offenders.”

Police in the region are currently investigating Mrs Astin’s case.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police in the Borders are investigating a report of an online fraud offence.

“The report was received on Tuesday December 5 in the Jedburgh area.

“Inquiries are currently ongoing.”