Comox Valley RCMP is urging people to be aware of sexual extortion scams, which are on the rise.
Police say they have noticed a rise in these scams, which start with the victims being approached on social media by fake accounts posing as attractive women.
The fake accounts convince the victims to perform sexual acts on camera or send nudes, and then use that footage to extort money. To add more to the threats, officers say the scammers will use screenshots of the person’s contacts or personal information like home and school addresses.
Men and young boys are a big target of the scammers, with media relations officer Constable Monika Terragni saying the scammers are ruthless.
“Make no mistake, sextortion can happen to anyone, regardless of their age or gender,” said Terragni. “Scammers prey on fear and shame, and that’s why it’s so important to report these crimes rather than suffer in silence.”
If you become the target of this scam, police encourage you to deactivate the accounts you were using to message the scammer, to not pay or send photos, cancel any money sent to them, save as much information as you can for evidence, speak with a trusted adult, and report it to police.
For more information and support, you can click here, here, or here.
