Sextortion is on the rise in NB – how to protect your child

WARNING: This story contains details about sexual blackmail.

An increasing number of young Canadian people, including in New Brunswick, are becoming victims of online sextortion, according to RCMP and experts in the field.

Last week, the New Brunswick RCMP said it had received 23 reports of online sextortion since the start of the year.

Stephen Sauer, director of Cybertip.ca, said the organization receives about 10 reports a day from youth across Canada seeking help related to sextortion.

“We see that more and more children are looking for support,” said Sauer.

What is Online Sextortion?

Online sextortion involves using sexually explicit images and videos to blackmail people for money or other financial benefits. The images may actually be taken by the victim or may be made to look like the victim.

For young people, the images are often sent on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram or Wizz to people the victim believes are their peers.

Sauer said much of the rise in online sextortion can be linked to criminal networks abroad.

Stephen Sauer, director of Cybertip.ca, says the organization receives about 10 reports a day from teens seeking help in sextortion programs. (Canadian Center for Child Protection)

“Many of the extortion cases we deal with come from criminal or organized criminal networks in Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Ivory Coast,” Sauer said.

“It's really about groups coming together and recognizing that they have this vulnerability in North American youth and in terms of their ability to comply and pay money.”

However, Matthew Johnson, education director at Media Smarts, said that while crimes committed by overseas gangs might grab more headlines, it was important to remember there were bad offenders closer to home.

“Based on the best evidence we have, young people know the perpetrator about two-thirds of the time,” Johnson said.

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“It’s very often peers, former romantic partners, other people they know.”

Who is being targeted?

Anyone can become a victim of sextortionists.

But Sauer said there appears to be an increase in targeted attacks on young people – particularly teenage boys.

“Currently, the demographic data shows that, particularly in cases of financial sextortion, around 70 to 80 percent are men and mainly people between the ages of 15 and 17 are affected,” said Sauer.

“However, we see children as young as ten who have been blackmailed because of an incident.”

What can young people do?

Sauer said young people need to learn about the dangers – and how they can protect themselves.

“I think children need to know a little more about what online sexual violence is and what control they have to stop it or at least prevent it,” Sauer said.

“It's so important that as parents we have an open and ongoing conversation with our children about their media lives so that they know that if something like this happens, they can come to us and we will help them,” says Johnson (Antonio Guillem /Shutterstock). )

“[If] If someone you don't know contacts you, it's important that you [don’t] answer them. There is no need to respond to aggressive tactics.”

If a teen is a victim of sextortion, they should record the evidence and ask authorities for help, Johnson said.

“You want to have evidence that this demand has been made, that someone is asking you to do something, is putting this pressure on you,” Johnson said.

“And you want to seek help from someone who is capable of helping you.”

What can parents and carers do?

Parents and caregivers can best help prevent sextortion by having open, honest and nonjudgmental conversations with their children about sexuality and online safety, Johnson said.

Matthew Johnson, education director at Media Smarts, says that while crimes committed by criminal networks abroad may make more headlines, it is important to remember that there are online dangers closer to home too. (Toni Choueiri/CBC)

“It's so important that as parents we have an open and ongoing conversation with our children about their media life so they know that if something like this happens, they can come to us and we will help them,” Johnson said.

“We’re not going to freak out. We won't take away their devices or their social networks. We will help them find a solution.”

Sauer said it's also important not to blame parents when sex acts occur.

“There’s no way they can watch their child 24/7,” Sauer said.

“There is no way to monitor your child’s every activity online, no matter what type of software you use.”

Where you can get help

Johnson said there are ways to force websites to remove sexually explicit images.

“Under Canadian law, the Intimate Images Act, a judge can order an intimate image that has been shared without consent to be removed from any online platform anywhere in the world,” Johnson said.

There are also several places you can turn if you are a victim of online sextortion: