Rihanna's record label is demanding that naked pictures of the singer posted online must be removed immediately.

Bosses at Island Def Jam Music are to take legal action after salacious snapshots apparently featuring the singer surfaced on the internet this weekend.

Lawyers for the label have moved swiftly to bury the scandal, sending stern warnings to websites that have posted the photos.

According to website TMZ.com, the letters do not confirm or deny that the woman in the photos is Rihanna but demands for the immediate removal of "unauthorised photos purported to be... Rihanna".

It also calls the pictures a violation of "the artist's rights".