Police warning sextortion cases targeting young people on the rise

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is warning parents, children, and young people about the dangers of texting explicit images on social media platforms and the risk of falling victim to sextortion.

OPS acting sergeant Erin McMullan from the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Section, said OPS receives complaints each week, with victims ranging in age from 11 to their early 20s.

“So much of our social activities involve texting, email, and a presence on social media platforms, especially during the global pandemic,” she said. “Predators are there, looking for victims.”

Online predators look for victims by first befriending them and then asking for photos.

“Once they get photos or videos, they will demand more images, or money, under threat of releasing the original photos to family and friends of the victim,” she added. 

McMullan told The Sam Laprade Show on Aug. 23 that sextortion of youths increased 150% between December 2021 and May 2022.

She said with so many children are spending more time online, inappropriate photos have become more common. 

“Be aware of what kids are using,” she said. “Make sure you go into their online gaming, pop your head in and out of their room, and try to have electronics in a space where you can see or hear what kids are doing.”

To gain the trust of the victim, the online friend may offer to share intimate images too. In some cases, a predator can take control of the victim’s webcam, so they are unaware their device is recording them.  

Safety tips for users to prevent sextortion:

• Limit the amount of personal information you post, to make it difficult for scammers to learn information about you.
• Set your social media privacy settings to limit who can contact you.
• Don’t accept unknown friend requests.
• Cover your webcam when you aren’t using it so you can’t be recorded without your consent.
• Don’t click on links or download files from unknown sources. Anti-virus software can help filter out potentially dangerous emails.
• Requests for intimate images of yourself should be a red flag and never send them to any social media platform or electronic device.

Tips for parents:

• Look for resources on how to keep your child safe online. https://protectchildren.ca/en/ offers good tips.
• Monitor your child’s online activities, social media profiles and who they are friends with.
• Talk to them about befriending strangers online and the information they share.
• Make them aware of online threats like sextortion, fake profiles, and fraud.
• Let them know they can come to you with questions or problems, and that you can help if something has happened.

If you are the victim of sextortion, take these steps:

• Tell your parent or guardian.
• Stop all communication with the extortionist.
• Save all texts, images, and communications – they will be important for the investigation.
• Contact police.
• Make a report through cybertip.ca. 
• Report the suspect user through the social media platform from which they are contacting you.

For more information, resources and support, visit https://protectchildren.ca/en/. 

Listen to the full interview with Erin McMullan below:

Keep it Factual

Add CityNews Ottawa as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.