Police issue fraud warning over ‘sextortion’ concerns

The Chatham-Kent Police Service have issued a fraud warning regarding ‘sextortion’ concerns in the community.

“Police have received numerous fraud complaints involving intimate images/videos, known as sextortion,” police officials said on social media.

“Typically, the offender reaches out to the victim through social media platforms like Snapchat or Instagram. Many offenders will befriend the victim and lead them into believing they are in a relationship. The offender, in many cases, will send intimate images/videos to the victim, claiming they are of themselves.”

Police officials added: “In return, the offender asks the victim to do the same. Once the victim has sent the images/videos, the dialogue changes to aggressive demands for money. If the money is not sent, the offender threatens to send the images/videos to the victim’s family, friends and co-workers. The victim often complies, but the offender continues to demand more money. ”

According to cybertip.ca, 91% of sextortion victims have been male, police officials say.

“Victims can be extorted for money or other images/videos that are more intimate,” police officials say.

“The Chatham-Kent Police Service would like to remind you NOT to send intimate images/videos to anyone. Parents, please talk to your children/teens about sextortion.”

If you believe that you are the victim of sextortion, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the police.

“If you are under 18, you may also contact https://www.cybertip.ca to report online sexual abuse/exploitation and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images,” police officials added.

“To take action to have images/videos removed, go to https://www.needhelpnow.ca.”

For citizens within the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, they can contact CKPS by calling 519-352-1234, police officials added.

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