Halifax District RCMP is warning the public about sextortion, a scam that has been reported six times to police since the beginning of the year.
Police say in each case, a perpetrator asks the victim to perform a sex act during an online video chat, after gaining the victim’s trust.
The suspect secretly records the video and threatens to release it to the victim’s contacts if the victim doesn’t give the suspect a certain amount of money.
READ: ‘Sextortion scam’ reported in Elgin County
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Police say in five of the six cases, the victim was a man and the suspect was a woman. The victims ranged in age from 17 to 52. In only one incident did the victim send money as demanded.
Police also say that while the videos were never sent to the victim’s contacts as the suspect threatened to do, that doesn’t mean it will never happen.
WATCH: How to talk to kids about sextortion
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The Nova Scotia RCMP Tech Crime Unit says that one way to protect yourself from this type of scam is to avoid accepting friend requests on social media from strangers.
Some of the investigations are ongoing and some have been concluded without charges being laid, as the suspects cannot be located or identified.
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