Ottawa police see a rise in sextortion cases this winter
Ottawa police are warning the public of the dangers of texting explicit images to people on social media platforms, after seeing a spike in sextortion cases this winter.
Sgt. Michael Cathcart says investigators in the Ottawa Police west division have been hearing from approximately 10 sextortion victims a week.
"It's a dangerous practice that we see far too often here in the city," Cathcart told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal.
Cathcart says sextortion is the act of extorting money after someone sends a photograph over social media or through a text message. Suspects are looking for victims by first befriending them online and then asking for photos.
"A lot of the victims of this are predominately male, younger males, that are involved on various social media platforms," Cathcart said.
"They strike up a conversation with somebody; it's often somebody not in their contacts list or on their friends' list, it's a new contact."
Police say the victims are all ages, with approximately 50 incidents reported over the past two months.
"The conversations usually start off fairly benign, 'Hey, how are you?' 'It's nice to meet you.' 'I'd love a picture.'" Cathcart said.
"Inevitably, the conversation turns into something of a sexual nature; the receiver is asking for a photo, and one will be sent. You really don't know who you are sending it to, and within minutes there are messages being sent back saying, 'Send me a sum of money or I will release this photo to all of the friends on your contact list,' and this is where the crime occurs."
Cathcart says the demand for a sum of money starts with an "astronomical number" like $5,000, followed by a negotiation by the victim. The suspect will then provide information to send money through Google or Apple Pay accounts, but the contact name will be different than the original person, Cathcart said.
Ottawa police offer the following safety tips for people to prevent sextortion:
- Limit the amount of personal information you post on social media channels to make it difficult for scammers to learn information about you
- Set your social media privacy settings to limit who can contact you
- Don’t accept unknown friend requests
- Cover your webcam when you aren’t using it so you can’t be recorded without your consent
- Don’t click on links or download files from unknown sources
- Requests for intimate images of yourself should be a red flag and never send them to any social media platform or electronic device
Police say if you are the victim of sextortion, don't try to handle it alone. You should follow these steps:
- Stop all communication with the suspect
- Save all texts, images, and communications
- If you are a youth, or even if you are legally an adult, tell your parent or guardian so they can help you
- Contact police
- Make a report through Cybertip.ca
- Report the suspect user through the social media platform from which they are contacting you
Cathcart says it is difficult to track down suspects online, so you need to make sure you know who you are sharing images with.
"My best advice is think before you click. You don't know who is on the other end of that keyboard."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.