After receiving three more sextortion complaints this year, Montreal police are sounding the alarm to alert young people and their parents to this type of devastating scam on teen mental health.
“The trend is exponential,” explains Commander Marco Breton, head of the Anti-Sexual Exploitation Unit at the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM). We are dealing with isolated, fragile, vulnerable, depressed and in some cases even suicidal victims.”
Marco Breton, commander of the SPVM’s Anti-Sexual Exploitation Unit. Photo Chantal Poirier
More than 100 cases
At the same time in 2022, investigators identified just over thirty files. Over 100 complaints have already been filed this year.
In a typical case, a sextortion scam usually involves a victim being contacted through a fake account on the internet.
“The vast majority of victims are boys between the ages of 14 and 17,” says Commander Breton. The gateways are the big social networks that we know.”
In most cases, fake accounts contain profiles of beautiful young women who are supposedly interested in seeing intimate photos of their victim. When the teenager falls into the trap of sending personal pictures, the tone changes quickly. A sum of money will then be requested, otherwise the photos will be sent to the entire friends list of the trapped person.
Few arrests
The problem is that even when young people have the courage to report themselves to the police, investigation records rarely lead to arrests. Since the SPVM has no jurisdiction outside of Montreal, any information gathered as part of the investigation will be forwarded to the police force in the country where the crooks live.
“We do business with extremely criminalized people who are organized and mostly active abroad,” explains Christina Vlachos, a police officer in the “Sexual exploitation of children” section on the Internet. It is very rare that we receive feedback that someone has been arrested.
Given the low detection rate despite investigators’ best efforts, they focus their efforts on victim support and prevention. Once a complaint is made, investigators will do everything possible to ensure that the youth is properly cared for and supported.
At the same time, warning parents and youngsters about this type of scourge remains the best way to avoid it.
“We attach great importance to prevention,” says Detective Lieutenant Vlachos. The aim is to initiate a discussion between parents and their children. We need to talk about these situations with our children. The channels must be open.”
On the positive side, however, Commander Marco Breton is pleased about one thing: Today’s parents are much better informed about the problems that the Internet brings than they were then.
“When I had young people, I wasn’t aware of these things,” he admits. Today I believe that parents are more involved in their children’s cyber activities.
Artificial intelligence at the service of sextortion
As artificial intelligence sparks passions around the world, Montreal police are noticing that it’s also making life easier for sextortionists.
Where scammers used to have to steal photos of innocent people to create fake accounts, today, thanks to artificial intelligence, they can create a variety of images without too much trouble.
“It’s a phenomenon that we’re observing,” explains commander Marco Breton, head of the SPVM’s anti-sexual exploitation department. They are able to create images of women from scratch to provide false information. That makes their work even easier.”
Just a few clicks
Not only are these artificial intelligence platforms often free, but they are also easily accessible on the traditional web. A few clicks are enough to create a person from scratch. It is also possible to personalize your request, for example by asking to create a picture of a young teenager with a busty breast.
More and more law enforcement agencies are noticing increasing social media collaboration in swiftly deleting fraud-related accounts. However, their proactivity is sometimes offset by the ease with which scammers open new accounts.
In addition to the significant increase in complaints in this area, the SPVM states that this is probably just the “tip of the iceberg”. According to the organization, a large proportion of the victims remain hidden and it is therefore impossible to accurately assess the extent of the problem.
Sextortion in numbers:
- 91% of the victims are boys
- 75% of cases are via Instagram or Snapchat
- Conversations often last less than 20 minutes
- Amounts requested are up to $7,500
Source: Cybertip, statistics from July 2022 to January 2023
How to avoid a trap:
- Do you have a private account
- Analyze every friend request
- Never share intimate content
What to do if you are a victim of sextortion:
- Take screenshots and then immediately deactivate your account
- Cut off all communication
- Never send money
- Denounce
Helpful resources for victims or their parents:
Please help me: www.aidezmoisvp.ca
Take it down (English only): https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
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