By Thomas Doucet

Cases on the rise

Sextortion cases up 50 per cent in Prince George

Aug 22, 2022 | 12:28 PM

PRINCE GEORGE—RCMP are warning the public to be careful of a rising number of online sextortion cases.

Sextortion is the practice of extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity. Cases often involve the victims being befriended online by an unknown person who will ask them to send photos or videos of themselves performing a sexual act.

“Of the incidents that are reported to police, many of the victims are young males in their teens and early twenties,” states Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, Media Relations officer for the Prince George RCMP. “It can be very scary for someone who is being targeted like this. We are urging the public to educate themselves on the dangers of sharing intimate images and videos of yourself online, particularly with people you have never met.”

Cases of sextortion have increased by more than 50 per cent between January and July this year over the same time last year.

The RCMP has some safety tips to help keep you safe online:

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• Remember everything online is instant, public and permanent
• Don’t accept friend requests or chat with people you don’t know in real life
• Use the platform’s privacy settings to limit the information you broadcast on social media

RCMP say that if you are the victim of a sextortion scam, it is important that you stop all communication immediately with that person and do not give in to their demands. Deactivate the accounts that you are using to communicate with that person and, most importantly, reach out for help and report it. Call your local police and contact NeedHelpNow.ca and Cybertip.ca for support.