Police issue warning after local 'sextortion' incident
CENTRE WELLINGTON – Police are warning residents not to share intimate images of themselves with others following a recent "sextortion" incident here.
Wellington County OPP say they received a report on Jan. 25 about a local resident being blackmailed by someone threatening to share intimate images of them with others.
"In this incident, the victim was contacted by an unknown person on Snapchat. The suspect and the victim exchanged intimate images," police stated in a Feb. 2 press release.
"The suspect then gained access to the victim's Instagram account and threatened to send the intimate images to the victim's friends and family.
"The victim sent over $500 to the suspect, but when the suspect demanded more money, the victim contacted police."
Police are reminding residents to not engage in online conversations with strangers and to not share intimate images online.
"If something similar should happen to you, immediately stop all communication with the person and do not comply with the threats," states the OPP release.
"Contact police, who can provide advice on the next steps to take. Also, keep copies of the messages and information such as the username, social media account, etc."
For more information on fraud, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at antifraudcentre.ca.
