Yukon RCMP say they’ve received three reports of youth being extorted on social media in the last week.
In the first two reports, the suspect used a Facebook profile to send friend requests and initiate conversation with two youth. The suspect invited the youth to video chat and “asked them to expose themselves,” RCMP say.
The suspect then recorded the video chat and threatened to share the videos and images if the youth didn’t send money.
According to RCMP, some of the images were already shared. This suspect is not believed to reside in Canada.
The third incident took place on Google Hangout. The suspect threatened to share nude images of a youth if they didn’t pay them money. RCMP is working with outside agencies to identify the suspect.
“RCMP believe there may be more victims out there,” says a press release issued March 2.
“If you are a victim of similar offences, please contact your nearest RCMP Detachment. Do not send money, stop communicating with the person, and keep the online conversations for investigation.”
(Gabrielle Plonka)