Financial sextortion on rise nationally

On Feb. 7, Safer Internet Day, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, along with law enforcement partners internationally and domestically, issued a joint warning about financial sextortion.

Law enforcement agencies are encouraging everyone to learn what financial sextortion is and how to protect yourself and those around you from this crime.

“Protecting our youth from financial sextortion is of paramount importance,” said RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.

“The impact on these vulnerable victims is devastating and may result in psychological trauma and serious mental health issues. The RCMP is committed to working with our domestic and international partners to investigate this crime, as well as develop public awareness and prevention campaigns to remove the stigma associated with this online crime and to advocate for victims, ensuring there is life after images.”

Financial sextortion is a type of online blackmail that is, sadly, on the rise. It involves someone asking you to send them sexual images or videos of yourself and then threatening to share them with others unless you pay them.

Sextortion can happen anywhere, which was made very apparent when the Town of Maidstone made national headlines after three victims experienced sextortion by unknown perpetrators from October to December 2022.

Offenders often pose as girls of a similar age and use fake accounts to target youth, then deceive them into sending explicit photos or videos.

The offender then threatens to release the sexual materials unless the victim sends them money.

These offenders know what they are doing, are organized, and are very good at what they do.

They will rely on threats and aggressive behaviour to get you to send them what they want – it is important to remember that there is help available.

The increase of financial sextortion is a public safety crisis that is heavily impacting youth globally.

It is a crime where anyone, including children, can be victimized through their phones, gaming consoles and computers.

They can be targeted in their own homes, their classrooms, and in other public places.

This serves as a good reminder to practice online safety by using privacy settings on social media accounts and to not add or follow people unknown to you. Everyone is at risk of financial sextortion, but recent findings suggest that young boys have represented the majority of cases in the last year.

According to Cybertip. ca, Canada’s tip line, 87 per cent of sextortion incidents affected boys. It is important to remember that while boys represent the majority of reported victims, anyone can be victimized and that there are resources to help if you think you are being sextorted. What to do if you are being financially sextorted:

- Stop all communication with the offender.

- Deactivate, but do not delete your social media account or images.

- Save a copy of any images you sent, and take screenshots of the messages and the person’s profile including username.

- Do not comply with any threats, do not send money or more images.

- According to an opensource analysis by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection of 6,500 first-hand accounts shared publicly on a popular victim support forum, complying with an extorter’s demands often leads to frequent future demands.

- Trust your instincts, and practice caution when communicating online.

- Reach out to a trusted adult, and report what happened through cybertip.ca or to your local police. It is important to know that you will not be in trouble with law enforcement and that you are not the one to blame in this situation. By reporting, you can help to keep other youth safer as well.

- Trust that there is life after images.

- The offender might make you feel like your life is over or ruined, but you are not alone and life can go on after these threats. These offenders are smart, but law enforcement is working together to combat these crimes.

Even though financial sextortion is committed virtually, it can have serious impacts offline.

After the threats and aggression, victims can feel alone, ashamed, scared, and sometimes desperate – to the point where they can harm themselves. Countless children and adults in Canada and around the world have been threatened in this way. There are resources and supports available to help. You are not alone.

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