A hate crime inquiry in the Australian state of Victoria has heard that international students from countries where homosexuality is illegal are being targeted through gay dating apps before being assaulted and blackmailed.

Police have identified ninety-five attacks on gay and bisexual men since June last year, with forty-two arrests made. But LGBTQ+ advocacy groups believe the true number is much higher, with many victims unwilling to go to police.

Switchboard Victoria says some attackers are threatening victims with being outed to their families and communities overseas. Victims have reportedly been told to transfer tens of thousands of dollars or risk videos of them being shared with people in their contacts.

Advocates say the consequences of being outed can be severe for students from countries where same-sex relationships are criminalised, making many reluctant to seek help.

The attacks follow a similar pattern. Victims are contacted on dating apps and invited to meet in public places. They are then physically assaulted, filmed and, in some cases, extorted.

Speaking at a recent community meeting, Thorne Harbour Health chief executive Chad Hughes said the attacks are deliberate and humiliating, with videos shared online to gain status among extremist online communities.

One victim told the inquiry he had spoken to someone on an app for a month before agreeing to meet in a park, where he was ambushed by two teenagers armed with a knife.

He said there had been little justice for victims, with one attacker found guilty without a recorded conviction and another never charged.