Coquitlam police latest to warn about increase in sextortion scams

The Coquitlam RCMP is warning the public about a recent rise in sextortion scams.

Sextortion, which is when someone threatens to send out an explicit photo, video, or message of you if you don’t give them money, usually targets youths, Coquitlam Mounties say.

According to police, there’s been a 150 per cent increase in children being sextorted between December 2021 and May 2022.

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In these incidents, police say a suspect often begins flirting online with the victim, and once a relationship has been established, the suspect convinces the victim to send nude photos or videos of themselves, amongst other things.

“The suspects rely on the fear and shame in order to extort anything they can from the victim who may be too afraid to seek help,” said Cpl. Alexa Hodgins. “When youth are involved, they are often to afraid to speak to their parents and attempt to deal with the extortion themselves. We want those victims to know that it’s okay to ask for help by speaking with an adult.”

Cpl. Alexa Hodgins (CityNews Image)

The suspects don’t always live in Canada, Mounties say, which can make it more difficult to investigate and prosecute.

Coquitlam police are encouraging families and children to use safe social media practices, and not to share nude or personal images and videos online.

The warning comes after New Westminster police sent a warning late last year of an increase in sextortion, while Dutch national Aydin Coban was found guilty of extorting B.C. teen Amanda Todd in August.

Fifteen-year-old Todd died a few weeks after she posted a video on the internet detailing how she was blackmailed by an online predator.