Police in Prince George, B.C., are warning about the dangers of sexual extortion after the suicide of a 12-year-old boy in their community.
The preteen took his own life on Oct. 12 and investigators have since determined his actions were in response to online sextortion, according to an RCMP news release. Police are still working to identify a suspect.
“We are calling for parents and caregivers to be honest with their youth about the dangers of online activity, especially if they are engaging in chats with people they don’t know in real life,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said.
“While not every case of online sextortion will end in tragedy, the consequences of this kind of activity can follow a youth for their entire life, which needs to be something we talk about openly with our kids.”
Sextortion is a practice of demanding money or sexual favours from someone by threatening to expose intimate images and videos of the victim, or other evidence of online sexual activity.
Prince George RCMP say reports of this type of incident have been rising every year, and teens between the ages of 13 and 18 are the most common targets. So far this year, the detachment has received 62 reports of online sextortion, up from 56 in 2022.
Police are advising young people to immediately cut off contact with anyone who attempts to extort them in this way, and deactivate the accounts they have been using to communicate with that person.
Victims are being advised to report any sextortion attempts to police, and seek help and advice through NeedHelpNow.ca and Cybertip.ca.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:
