A rise in incidents involving sextortion in Burnaby is prompting Burnaby RCMP to issue a public alert.
Since May, Burnaby RCMP have investigated 24 incidents of sextortion.
The term “sextortion” is used to describe incidents that involve the threat of releasing shared intimate videos, images or explicit messages online.
The victim is asked to make a payment, usually via Bitcoin or money transfer in order to stop the release of this material online, and it is essentially blackmail.
Some of the incidents have resulted in victims transferring money to the suspect so police are asking the public to be extra vigilant when it comes to communicating with strangers online and to always be mindful that their actions may be recorded.
They also say do not accept friend requests from people you do not know on social media.
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Should anyone reach out to you and try to extort money, police suggest you report the incident to police immediately.
WATCH: How to talk to kids about sextortion
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