Chatham-Kent Police are urging residents to be vigilant with a nefarious fraud making the rounds.
Local authorities have received a number of complaints lately involving so-called sextortion scams.
Police say the offender befriends the victim over social media, makes them believe they are in a relationship, and asks for intimate images or videos. However, once those files are sent, the predator often becomes aggressive, demands money, and threatens to send the photos or videos to the victim’s family, friends, or co-workers.
Police are reminding everyone to never send intimate videos or images to anyone, and parents are asked to talk to their kids about this type of online fraud.
If you believe that you are the victim of Sextortion, call Chatham-Kent Police at 519-352-1234. If you are under 18, you may also contact https://www.cybertip.ca to report online sexual abuse/exploitation and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. To take action to have images/videos removed, go to https://www.needhelpnow.ca.