Police in Lethbridge, Alta., have seen the number of sextortion reports they field more than double in 2022.
Local reports of sextortion — a largely online act which sees a culprit threaten to release sexual images or videos of a victim if they don’t pay up or provide more content — jumped from 20 between January and September 2021, to 43 in the same period this year.
Lethbridge police say 20 per cent of this year's sextortion victims were under 18 years of age.
The youngest was under 13, police say.
Police say 91 per cent of sextortion victims in the southern Alberta city were male.
Cybertip.ca, run by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, says males are usually targeted for money, while females are usually targeted for more images or videos.
"Youth are particularly vulnerable due to increased time spent online and the popularity of live-streaming services during the COVID-19 pandemic," police said in a release issued Wednesday.
"Youth may also be embarrassed and hesitant to seek adult assistance, and will often comply with threats to try and manage the situation on their own."
Further breakdown of sextortion victim statistics provided by police show 21 per cent of local victims sent more images or videos, and 14 per cent sent more money.
There have been zero charges laid in connection to any of this year's reports.
Police say sextortion is often the work of international organized crime networks, which complicates investigations.
It's believed only seven per cent of this year's reports were domestic.
Local sextortion victims are asked to call Lethbridge police at 403-328-4444 or report the incident through Cybertip.ca.
Cybertip.ca suggests victims additionally cease related communications, deactivate relevant online accounts and collect and keep correspondence, as well as any information they have about the culprit, but to not comply with the threat.
Cybertip.ca says complying typically does not make the situation any better.
Both Lethbridge police and Cybertip.ca encourage parents or guardians to speak with their children about the potential dangers of using technology to experiment sexually.
