The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit is encouraging people to be aware of and familiarize themselves with online “Sextortion”.

In most cases the offender will talk to a teenage boy through a social media platform, often pretending to be a young girl of the same age. The offender will then establish a rapport with their victims before getting them to send intimate images of themselves. Once the offender has the photos, they threaten to send the images to the victims friends and family unless they pay.

This September the Saskatchewan ICE Unit received more than 20 reports of Sextortion from child victims in the province. Sextortion is an under reported crime leading police to believe there are more incidents occurring than being reported. Suspects in these cases are often overseas and can be difficult to identify and prosecute.

Parents are encouraged to have age-appropriate conversations with their child around personal safety online and what to do if they find themselves in a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable.

People can head to cybertip.ca to learn more about the prevention of child exploitation as well as support for those impacted by child exploitation.