'Devastating impact': Sextortion remains a concern in southern Alberta

A stock photo showing a cellphone with several social media apps. (Pixabay/xander_dez)

Police are warning Calgarians about the dangers of sextortion scams, which continue to be a widespread issue.

According to the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), more than 100 youth in southern Alberta were victimized by sextortion scams between March and early December.

The high number of victims has prompted ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit to urge parents to promote online safety in their homes. 

"Sextortion scam offences have inundated ICE and the same can be said for its partner agencies across Alberta, even worldwide," said ALERT in a Thursday news release. 

Most recently, police say a Calgary youth was extorted out of $1,000 from an Australian who was arrested in September. 

"It’s heart-breaking to see first-hand the devastating impact these types of offences are having on kids," said Det. Dean Jacobs.

He says police in the U.S. have linked sextortion to more than a dozen suicides.

 "Our unit has handled well over 100 cases, but the sad reality is that we know the numbers are much higher," said Det. Steve Brighton.

"There are kids out there who have fallen victim, but are also too scared or embarrassed to seek help and resources."

WHAT IS SEXTORTION?

Sexual extortion most often involves an offender befriending a teen via social media, usually pretending to be a female of the same age from a neighbouring community or school.

"The suspect will create the appearance of a promising online relationship and will send a sexually explicit image(s) to the victim, with the demand that they reciprocate," ALERT said.

"Once obtained, the youth are threatened that this material will to be released to friends, family, or shared on the internet until a payment is made."

WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA DO OFFENDERS USE?

ALERT says the majority of the offences take place over Snapchat and Instagram, with more than two-thirds of all cases targeting boys between the ages of 9-17 years old.

"These circumstances create panic, shame, and youth are reluctant to reveal their mistake to a trusted adult."

ALERT says the offenders are often operating overseas, which makes them challenging to arrest.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

When talking to new people online, ALERT says you should be wary of:

• Unsolicited friend, follow requests or adds from people you don't know;
• Sudden sexualized questions or conversation;
• Getting a direct message on one app, and asking you to continue chatting on a different app; and
• Claims their webcam or microphone are not working for calls/chats.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE BEING SEXTORTED

ICE offers the following tips if you’re being sextorted online:

• Immediately stop all communication;
• Do not comply with the threat;
• Report it online to the social media service;
• Reach out for help to a trusted adult; and
• Keep the correspondence by downloading account information from the social media platform, or take screenshots.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about sextortion you can visit the ALERT website.  

Resources are also available online at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.