Sexual Offences

Sextortion Crimes in Canada

Written on behalf of Barrison Law

Sextortion in Canada is on the rise. The RCMP have been investigating 24 incidents of sextortion since May, 2018.

Sextortion is a form of exploitation that involves the threat of releasing shared intimate videos, images, or explicit messages online.

Experts have found a spike in reported online sextortion cases involving teenage boys. According to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (a national charity dedicated to the personal safety and protection of children), 65 boys reported incidents to Cybertip.ca in 2015-2016, an 89% increase from the previous two-year period. Reports made by girls in 2015-2016 increased by 66% from the previous two-year period.

Boys, usually between the ages of 13 to 15, are targeted through a social media website by strangers who show a romantic interest. The perpetrator then sends a pre-recorded video of a young girl and solicits the teen boy to reciprocate by sending sexually explicit images or videos of themselves. When the perpetrator has the explicit material, the boy is led to believe that the images or video will not be shared with the public as long as cash is delivered.

RECENT ARREST FOR SEXTORTION

In Manitoba, a 22-year-old woman met a 25-year-old man on Tinder (no names have been disclosed due to privacy concerns). The two began chatting online, and then went on a couple of dates over a two week period of time. The man received “sensitive images” of the woman that were consensual.

The woman reported to police that there were occasions when the man would rip off her clothes and take pictures of her, without her consent.

The woman later found videos that the man took without her consent of occasions where he was “taking advantage of her in his truck”.

The woman refused to see the man again, at which point he began to threaten her. The man claimed that if she did not come over, he would send the videos and photographs to her work.

In a text message, the man wrote “It’s called f-ing leverage. It’s called blackmail. … If you are not here by 9:30 by yourself then all the videos go out. There is no if’s and or butts.”

The woman reported the blackmail to the police, and the RCMP proceeded to obtain a search warrant and attended at the man’s home on March 20, 2018. At that time, they proceeded to seize all electronics (laptop, Xbox one, and two iPhones), along with 15 other items.

The man has been charged with extortion, voyeurism, and indecent phone calls. He has also been charged with “sextortion”, a newly added crime in the Criminal Code (section 162.1), referencing someone who distributes an intimate image of someone without that person’s consent.

The man is awaiting his court date, but a protection order has been grant requiring the man to stay at least 100 metres away from the woman until 2020.

RCMP WARNINGS

RCMP are warning the public of various types of sextortion scenarios that they have been investigating.

One scenario occurs where a victim receives unsolicited friend requests on social media or a pornographic website and an online relationship develops. The relationship builds and the victim is encouraged and coerced to use his/her computer’s camera to perform a sexual act on camera. The victim later learns that this event was recorded and is threatened to make a payment or the video will be released.

Another scheme occurs when a victim receives an email advising that someone has infiltrated their computer and knows that they have been visiting a pornographic website. The hacker provides the victim’s password in the email and reveals that they have a sexually explicit recording of the victim. Then a demand for payment is made, usually in the form of Bitcoins.

In all of these scenarios, the victims are threatened with the release of intimate videos or images if a payment, in the form of a money transfer or Bitcoin, is not received.

TIPS TO PREVENT SEXTORTION

The following are some recommendations to protect yourself from becoming a victim of sextortion:

  1. Do not accept friend requests from unknown individuals on social media;
  2. Do not talk to people online who you do not know;
  3. Do not perform an illicit act over the internet;
  4. Disable your webcam or any other camera connected to the internet when you are not using it;
  5. Do not open attachments from individuals you do not know;
  6. Do not share explicit videos and/or photographs with anyone;
  7. Parents should review and approve all applications downloaded to their children’s electronic devices and regularly monitor the content of all applications and social media websites used by their children;
  8. Parents should discuss internet safety with their children and reinforce the need to tell an adult if anyone threatens them or asks for sexual acts or sexually explicit images;
  9. If you have been targeted, stop communicating with the individual, save all correspondence and immediately report the incident to the police.

We will continue to follow any developments that take place in the latest sextortion case in Manitoba as it makes it way through the courts and will report on them in this blog.

In the meantime, if you are facing sextortion charges or charges related to any other sexual offence, please contact the experienced criminal lawyers at Barrison Law online or at 905-404-1947. For your convenience, we offer 24-hour phone services. We are available when you need us most.