Thousands of Canadian youths around the country were targeted by financial sextortion crimes in 2022, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection has found.
The recent rise in sextortion crimes targeting youths has been widely reported by RCMP detachments and municipal forces around British Columbia.
In Victoria, police said officers investigated 27 cases in 2022, with most involving boys — one as young as 13 years old, police said.
In one case, the criminal posed as a girl on an online gaming site, targeted a victim, and moved communication to social media.
“It very quickly went from, ‘Hey, I like you,’ to ‘I want to see what you look like,’ to ‘Send me a picture of your face and body,’” said Bowen Osoko, a Victoria police spokesperson.
“Then a request comes for more intimate images. As soon as that happens, the language changes from being flirtatious to language that shames the victim, attempts to manipulate and then (the scammers) ask for money.”
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection released a video that aims to fight sextortion crimes against youths.
It advises young people to never share intimate photos and to instead send a meme of a naked mole rat.
Between March and August of 2022, experts say there was a 56 per cent increase in youth being extorted, with contact often occurring on Instagram or Snapchat.
“A very small percentage of victims come forward,” Osoko said.
“That is because often they feel a sense of shame — they shouldn’t feel shame. They are being targeted by cybercriminals, who are skilled at deception and manipulation.”
Social media education experts told Global News the feeling of shame in victims is what drives the scammer’s market.
“It can’t be an advocacy piece in telling young people ‘this is OK’ but it also can’t be something where we put it in front of them and say, ‘If you do this, this is the worst thing ever,’” Jesse Miller, a Mediated Reality spokesperson, said.
Experts said if someone does become a victim or a target, never give money, as the scammer’s demands will only grow.
There have been no arrests yet in last year’s Victoria sextortion cases, according to police.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has created a website with more information.