VicPD seeing 'disturbing' increase in sextortion involving young boys

Victoria police are asking parents and guardians to stay vigilant as officers investigate a disturbing spike in online sextortion, often involving young boys.

Police said recent files have involved victims who are boys as young as 13 and 14-years-old being targeted in Victoria and Esquimalt.

Sextortion is a sophisticated cybercrime in which perpetrators often contact a victim through an online forum, including social media like Instagram and Snapchat.

Targeting teen boys and young men, the perpetrators often pose as teen girls or young women who claim to be interested in a sexual relationship with their potential victim.

They then request intimate photos and videos of the boys or young men. Once they have received these images or videos, they then threaten to share the videos or photos with the teen boy or young man’s family, friends, school community and/or employer, attempting to shame their target into handing over money.

While teen girls and young women are also targeted in sextortion files, two-thirds of the 27 sextortion files that VicPD investigated in 2022 target teen boys or young men.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection saw a similar increase in sextortion files last year, with 92% of reports involving teen boys or young men.

Investigators believe many more sextortion incidents have occurred which have not yet been reported to police.

“The psychological and social impacts on teens and young men and women who are preyed on in sextortion is often significant,” Chief Del Manak said.

“Sextortion is a crime. I know it can feel awkward or uncomfortable, but talking to a trusted adult, whether a parent, teacher or a VicPD officer about what you’re experiencing can be the first step in stopping it.”

Police say you can protect your children by talking to them about safe online interactions.

The professional cybercriminals who engage in sextortion are skilled at deception and manipulation, and if you are being targeted children need to know that a trusted adult will help.

“Sextortion is a crime,” said the VicPD. “Officers will listen to your story and will not judge you.”

They add that you should never comply with a threat, as it often makes the situation worse and leads to additional demands.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has created a website that contains excellent resources to help. Please visit dontgetsextorted.ca for more information.

For information on supports including information on how to report sexualized violence, click here.