GABRIELLE KNOWLES, The West Australian January 18, 2012, 3:56 am

Nic Ellis/The West Australian ©

A Perth teenager says she was humiliated to have handed over nude photographs after falling victim to an internet modelling scam but has bravely spoken out to warn other women.

The 18-year-old, who wanted to be known only as Summer, revealed a man threatened to publish the photos on the internet and send them to her family if she did not have sex with him after tricking her into sending the images by posing as a female modelling agent. The man offered her a contract with fashion magazine Marie Claire.

Police are investigating similar extortion complaints from two other Perth women and are warning people to be careful of providing personal information online.

Summer said she was befriended on a social networking site by a person who called themselves Catherine Johnson and claimed to work for a well-known modelling agency.

The teenager said she questioned the woman’s offer of modelling work but said she was manipulative and convincing.

Summer sent a headshot but the person kept requesting different photographs and after several emails she eventually sent more revealing shots.

The person then requested personal contact information and references.

“I didn’t tell anyone because I think deep down I knew it wasn’t really right, I knew something was wrong but I wanted to believe that it was real,” Summer said.

The teenager said when a friend found out and convinced her to challenge the person, he revealed himself as a man and threatened to “make her famous” by publishing the photographs on the internet if she and her friend did not meet him for sex.

“All I could think about was my family and how they would feel if they saw (the photographs) it was horrible,” she said. “I’m quite conservative and I don’t wear revealing clothes.”

Summer called police, who have traced the emails and believe they originated overseas.

Sex assault squad Det-Sen. Const Travis Healy urged people not to provide any personal information over the internet.

He said any reputable modelling agencies would ask for only a headshot and if people were contacted online, they should call the agency themselves.

Summer said she wanted to tell her story to warn other women not to trust anyone on the internet.

“I’ve always considered myself as quite street-smart,” she said, adding that it showed how manipulative people could be.

She said looking back she could not believe she was taken in by the scam. But caught up in the moment, she wanted to believe it was real.

“I was really angry at myself for doing it but then. I was really angry because I couldn’t understand how someone could do that,” she said. “It’s humiliating and disgusting.”

Safety tips and information can be obtained through The Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) at www.cybersmart.gov.au and the Australian Federal Police site www.thinkuknow.org.au/site/index.asp