Press release from Kelowna RCMP on January 21, 2021:
In the time of a global pandemic, romance scammers are alive and well all over the internet. And while it might be easy to lose yourself in a new romantic interest, it’s important to remember to keep yourself and your privacy safe.
One of the more prevalent sextortion scams reported to police goes something like this:
You receive an unsolicited friend request or contact on social media, and an online relationship develops. As the relationship builds, you are encouraged to send explicit photographs or video of yourself. Later, you’re contacted and told that the photograph or video will be sent to your loved ones, or posted online unless you pay money to the extorter.
What just happened? You’ve become the latest victim of a prevalent sextortion scam.
Tips to prevent sextortion:
If you are a victim of Sextortion:
It’s also very important to have conversations about internet safety with your children, says Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy of the Kelowna RCMP. They need to know how to keep themselves safe, and to report threatening or sexually suggestive behaviour they encounter to a trusted adult immediately.