**** RCMP Media Release
RCMP warns about sextortion scams
Halifax District RCMP is investigating a report of sextortion, and the RCMP would like to warn the public about this scam.
The term “sextortion” has been used to describe a situation where an online relationship evolves to the point where the suspect, whom the victim has met only online, asks the victim perform a sex act during an online video chat. The suspect then reveals to the victim that they have recorded the act, demands money and threatens to release the video to the victim’s contacts if they don’t comply.
On June 22, Halifax District RCMP received a report of sextortion where the victim had a video chat with the suspect. The suspect recorded the call and sent a screenshot to the victim asking for money, but none was sent. In this incident, the victim was an 18-year-old man.
While the videos were not sent to the victim’s contacts, as the suspect threatened to do, that doesn’t mean it will never happen. “If you make a video or take a photo, and that device has the ability to connect to the internet, the content can potentially be seen by anyone,” says S/Sgt. Royce MacRae, of Nova Scotia RCMP Digital Forensics Services. “One way to protect yourself from this type of scam is to not accept friend requests from strangers, and to avoid sharing intimate content online with people you’ve never met in person.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Halifax District RCMP is asking the public to report any suspicious activity to police at 902-490-5020. If you think you have been the victim of a scam, you can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm.
