Saskatchewan ICE unit says 31 ‘sextortion’ crimes reported since November 2022
Global News
In recent cases across Canada, approximately 70 per cent of victims have been teenage boys, and the suspects are typically searching for a financial gain.
Saskatchewan’s Internet Child Exploitation unit has seen online “sextortion” cases spike in the past few months, reporting 31 new cases in the province since November 2022.
“Often times, people aren’t who they say they are,” said Staff Sgt. Tim Failler, provincial ICE unit coordinator. “People can come up with very good fake profiles on Snapchat and Instagram.”
He said that they initiate conversations online with the child after they build a relationship with them.
“They are requesting videos or images of the child undressed.”
Failler said that one of the major concerns regarding children using the internet across the country is sextortion, which is when an online perpetrator threatens to send explicit images or videos of an individual to other people if they do not comply with their demands.
However, ICE is experiencing difficulty investigating the reports.
“The suspects are often times overseas and in areas that the police don’t have the same authority as we do here in Canada,” Failler said.
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