Vulnerable people in South Yorkshire exploited by friends in 'mate crime'
We're hearing vulnerable people in South Yorkshire are being exploited by criminals who they think are their are their friends in so-called 'mate crime'
Hallam's lifting the lid on 'mate crime' - which sees the exploitation of some of South Yorkshire's most vulnerable people.
It's when people with things like autism are manipulated by so-called friends who can often end up ruining their lives.
A charity's told us it can be as big a problem as hate crime.
Vicky Farnsworth's from Rotherham - she's got a learning disability - and was exploited by someone who she thought was her friend:
"I thought she was fine. It started when she wanted to lend money. She wouldn't give the money back. I kept asking her - told her she promised to take it in turns. She started threatening me, grabbing my clothes and making me do things I didn't want to do like nicking off people - nicking money from this blind lady.
"It made me feel frightened. She might have been the same age as me but how she came across, it was threatening because it wasn't just pulling my clothes, she really grabbed hold of them really strongly."
Vicky now helps people with learning disabilities with the charity Speakup in Rotherham.
They've told us many of the people they support are targeted with mate crime because they're seen as vulnerable and easy to exploit.
Vicky says it can often happen without you realising:
"They fall for all the tricks they do - they start off being kind and being really nice to you and when someone says 'do you think they're doing hate crime to you?' you might not believe them straight away, but what they've been doing to you is not right - it's wrong.
"If more people speak up and report it, more things can be stopped. It might be difficult and hard and frightenting at first but if we let these people get away with it then it's easier for them to do it to someone else. Some people are ending up killing htemselves over it and that's not right."