Victoria police warn of 'disturbing rise' in sextortion cases targeting teen boys

A young man holding a cellphone is pictured in this stock photo. (Getty Images)

The Victoria Police Department is urging community members to be cautious as police contend with rising cases of online sexual extortion, or sextortion, particularly among young male victims.

Police say they've seen a "disturbing rise" in online sextortion incidents, with recent investigations involving boys as young as 13 and 14 years old in Victoria and Esquimalt.

Online sextortion generally involves someone contacting a victim – often through social media apps like Instagram or Snapchat – and posing as a young woman who's interested in a sexual relationship with the victim.

The perpetrator then requests intimate photos or videos of the victim, then threatens to share those images and videos with the victim's family, friends, employer or school community if they don't send them money.

"The psychological and social impacts on teens and young men and women who are preyed on in sextortion is often significant," said Victoria police Chief Del Manak in a release Monday.

"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," he said.

Victoria police say that both young men and young women are targets of sextortion, but recent cases locally and across the country have largely involved boys.

Nationally, 92 per cent of sextortion files involved teen boys or young men last year, according to VicPD.

Locally, about 59 per cent of VicPD's sexual extortion cases involved young men, while 41 per cent involved young women, in 2022.

Police are asking that young people in the community be vigilant, and that guardians speak with their teens about online safety.

VicPD has also released several tips on how to protect yourself from extortion:

• The professional cybercriminals who engage in sextortion are skilled at deception and manipulation.
• If you are experiencing sextortion, talking with a trusted adult will help.
• Sextortion is a crime. Officers will listen to your story and will not judge you.
• Never comply with the threat – it often makes the situation worse and leads to additional demands.

Survivors of sexual violence or sextortion can file a report on the Victoria police website. Further information about sextortion can be found on the Canadian Centre for Child Protection website.