Provincial police are once again warning people to think twice about engaging in intimate conduct online after an 18-year-old in Middlesex County was scammed out of $4,000.
Middlesex OPP said the teen met someone on a popular social media app and the pair began speaking. Eventually, the individual convinced the teen that they had captured intimate images while the two were talking. The person then threatened to share the images with the teen’s friends and family unless a fee was paid, police said.
Out of fear, the teen sent the person $4,000.
Police said this scam is a form of sextortion, which is where people engage in sexually explicit conversations or “video chats” and one of the people threatens to share the content unless the other sends them money.
“These scammers are using fake profiles on social media and dating websites to lure you into a relationship and coerce you into performing sexual acts on camera,” police said. “There is always a risk in sharing any personal or sexually explicit images over the internet. Think twice before you send or post anything. Before you hit “send” remember that you cannot control where this image or video may travel.”
Police advise anyone who has been threatened in this type of manner to not pay the individual but to block them from all social media, screenshot the message exchange and all police at 1-888-310-1122.
Victims of sextortion can also reach out to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center at 1-888-495-8501.
