N.S. RCMP warn public about sextortion scams after recent incident was reported to police
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.