An 18-year-old Brazilian girl says she is auctioning her virginity online - to cover her ailing mother's medical expenses.
Rebecca Bernardo claims she was inspired by an auction by fellow Brazilian Catarina Migliornini, who raised £485,000.
While Migliorini was pictured frolicking topless on a beach, Bernardo's appeal comes from the somewhat less sensational location of her kitchen.
Rebecca Bernardo is auctioning her virginity to pay for her mother's medical bills
Addressing the camera in Portuguese during the amateur recording, Bernardo explains she has tried other methods of employment including waitressing and selling cosmetics, but is unable to fund care for her mother, who can no longer feed herself.
Her neighbours have corroborated her story, telling WAFB Bernardo's older sister died several years ago and that the teen is estranged from her father.
One woman said: "She had no one to go to. This is the only solution she found."
Catarina Migliorini auctioned her virginity for £485,000 but the sale is not yet complete
However, Bernardo's mother, who suffered a stroke, is not happy about her daughter's decision.
She told the channel: "She should look for work. She shouldn't prostitute herself."
Bernardo told CNN: "There comes a time when you have to make decisions to get what you want. You have to be strong."
It has been reported Bernardo rejected a local TV network's offer to cover the medical expenses if she halted the virginity auction.
According to Gawker, Bernardo refused the offer, claiming she was also hoping to fund a relocation.
As Bliss Tree points out: "Her situation is extremely dark and, hopefully, just as rare. But without social support or adequate health care, it isn’t rare that families become desperate under the weight of medical bills. It may not lead everyone to prostitution, but it’s devastating for everyone in its own right."
Meanwhile, Migliornini reportedly remains a virgin owing to "visa problems", although she has recently accepted an offer to pose for Playboy magazine.
Last year the same site ran an auction for Alexander Stepanov, whose virginity was sold to "Nene B" for the considerably smaller sum of £1,800.