Police warning men about spike in video web chat extortion
10 recent cases logged by Gatineau police
CBC News
Posted: Mar 6, 2013 10:10 AM ET
Last Updated: Mar 6, 2013 2:22 PM ET
Gatineau police are warning men about a recent wave of extortion cases involving video web chats.
Police said the suspects, all women, start by convincing men on dating websites to talk on web cameras. Then the men are asked to undress until they're sexually compromised on video, at which point the blackmail begins.
"The suspect threatens the victim, … [that unless they pay] a sum of money, they will expose the images on the web," said Gatineau police spokesman Sgt. Jean-Paul Lemay.
There have been 10 cases logged by Gatineau police so far.
Some men have paid and others have not, Lemay said, adding that police think there are more victims out there. But because some men are likely ashamed, they're not coming forward.
"There are challenges in these types of investigations, but we still need the data," Lemay said, asking any other victims to speak to an officer.
Police are reminding people to be cautious about talking to strangers on the internet.
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