N.B. news: RCMP say sextortion cases on the rise

The New Brunswick RCMP is warning the public about a marked spike in “sextortion” scams across the province so far this year.

According to an RCMP news release, sextortion is a type of blackmail involving online threats to send sexual videos or images of a person to other people unless demands are met.

The N.B. RCMP says it has seen 66 online sextortion reports since 2023, 43 of which were reported since January.

“The most common method used by the offenders is a friend request on a social media platform, then the conversations move into a private chat, and once a rapport and trust have been established, it is followed by a request for intimate images,” said Cpl. Hans Ouellette in the release. “The extortion takes place when the scammer threatens to share the photos with family and friends unless money is sent.

“The best advice I can give if this happens to you is to deactivate, but do not delete your social media account or images, save a copy of any images you sent, take screenshots of the messages and the person’s profile including their username, and report it to police. Trust your instincts, practice caution when communicating online, and don’t be too embarrassed to ask for help.” 

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