A former glamour model from Ceredigion discovered she was the victim of a nude photo cybercrime while filming for a documentary on the misuse of online images.

Jess Davies has had a successful career as a model and Instagram influencer, using her platform of around 150,000 followers to share messages of body positivity and female empowerment.

She has worked with BBC Three to create a documentary to raise awareness of the misuse of images online.

While Jess’ social media is a positive community where she is in control, elsewhere on the internet “it’s a very different story”, she said.

Fake profiles regularly steal her identity and use it to impersonate other women online. And her pictures have been leaked, sold and misused in ways she never consented to.

Jess moved away from Penrhyncoch at the age of 18 to attend the University of South Wales in Cardiff.

She became a glamour model and, while she no longer does topless shoots, these photos are still being used all over the internet, on porn sites and by agencies falsely advertising her as an escort girl, without her consent.

Jess also went on to became an online personality and social media influencer, and her blog Jabber with Jess considers the effects of online harassment and mental health.

In 2019 Jess opened up about her experiences with catfishing, the act of creating a false identity in order to lure people into relationships online.

The act of impersonating somebody online, with the exemption of pretending to be a lawyer or a law enforcement officer, is not illegal. But in recent years calls for this to be made illegal have increased and Jess has joined these calls.

Jessica told the Cambrian News in 2019: “I do think it should be illegal to use someone else’s images online, as the way in which they are used is in a direct attempt to trick or scam people into believing they are someone that they’re not.”

Now, Jess is tackling a new issue and has filmed a documentary for BBC Three, entitled When Nudes Are Stolen, during which she meets other people whose images have been misused. She also speaks to cyber experts, a former scammer and those working to challenge this global issue.

Jess investigates the practice of eWhoring, a type of cybercrime whereby people - mostly women - are impersonated online, and their nude photos are sold. Jess discovers she has been a victim of eWhoring, and her images have been put in a ‘pack’ which is traded for as little as a $15 Amazon gift card.

In the documentary, Jess explores the long-term effects on your sense of self and your romantic relationships when intimate images are shared and misused.

She also asks what more can be done to tackle image based sexual abuse.

When Nudes Are Stolen is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.