Vanderhoof RCMP are warning of a recent sextortion scam after receiving a report from a local resident.
The victim reportedly sent intimate photos on a social media platform to someone they had only met online. The victim then began receiving threatening phone calls from a unknown man demanding money and threatening to release the photos to the victim's friends and family if they didn't pay.
Police say scammers create fake profiles on social media and dating sites and use these profiles to lure unsuspecting victims into a relationship and coerce them to perform sexual acts on camera or to send photos.
Those sessions are recorded and the images are then used to extort further sexual imagery or money. Police say sending money is unlikely to make the threats stop.
"We urge the public not to share intimate photos through social media or online, even if you know and trust the recipient," said Cpl. Steven McLean of the Vanderhoof RCMP. "Once those images have been sent, you lose any control of how they might be used."
Mounties say if you are the victim of sextortion, immediately block the suspect on all platforms and contact local police.
