Sask. Internet Child Exploitation unit seeing increase in extortion for intimate images
The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit is warning parents of an increase in scams involving extortion to leverage intimate images or money from young victims.
“We just want to get the word out and for parents and families to educate (youth) on it so they won’t do it,” Saskatchewan ICE unit provincial coordinator Staff Sgt. Shawn Stubbs said.
Sask. ICE had seven reports of youth extortion crimes in 2021. This year, 12 complaints were filed in the first four months of the year.
“There’s probably another 15 or so that we suspect are extortion files,” Stubbs said.
He says criminals will approach children on various social media sites and gaming apps and pose as a child of similar age.
The person posing as a child will communicate with the youth and begin to send intimate images and or videos of who they say is themselves.
That person will then ask the child to send them intimate images of themselves. Once the photos or videos are sent, the person will then demand money from them and threaten to send their images to friends, family and social media contacts if they don’t comply.
Stubbs says other child exploitation agencies in Canada are also reporting an increase in extortion cases.
“It’s hard for kids to talk to their parents when something like that has happened because of shame, guilt, embarrassment about what they have shown or shared online,” said sexual assault counsellor Shellina Nowakowski.
She works at the Prince Albert Sexual Assault Centre and says parents should remain calm if their child comes forward to tell them about online extortion or luring.
Stubbs says parents should talk to their children about these type of scams, supervise their children’s online activity and know their passwords to help monitor their devices.
“Parents should be aware of the social media platforms their kids are using, whether it’s YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat. Who they are talking to should be monitored,” Nowakowski said.
She says children who have been victims of online predators often suffer trauma and should seek help.
ICE is currently investigating the extortion complaints but no charges have been laid in 2022.
“If the accused is in Saskatchewan, we can easily track it down to an area, and track it down to their IP address,” Stubbs said.
If the suspect is in another country, ICE sends requests to police agencies in that jurisdiction but it becomes more difficult to investigate and prosecute depending on the country, he says.
Stubbs says taking intimate photos of anyone under 18 years of age is child pornography and is illegal to make or share those images even if it’s between two consenting teenagers known to each other.
Sask. ICE says if members of the public have concerns about something they or their children find online, they should contact their local police service.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.