N.S. RCMP warn public about sextortion scams after recent incident was reported to police
HALIFAX -
RCMP in the Halifax area are warning the public about sextortion scams after a similar incident was recently reported to police.
On June 22, Halifax District RCMP received a report of sextortion where the victim had a video chat with the suspect. According to police, the suspect recorded the call and sent a screenshot to the victim asking for money. Police say no money was sent. The victim in this case was an 18-year-old man.
The term sextortion has been used to describe a situation where an online relationship evolves to the point where the suspect, who the victim has only met online, asks the victim to perform a sex act during an online video chat. The suspect then reveals to the victim that they recorded the act, demands money and threatens to release the video to the victim's contacts if they do not comply.
Police say while videos were not sent to the victim's contacts in this particular case, 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.
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