Police warn of the dangers of texting explicit images

 https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/police-warn-of-the-dangers-of-texting-explicit-images.aspx

 (Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police Service is warning everyone about the dangers of texting explicit images on social media platforms and the risk of falling victim to sextortion.

Detective Katrina Moore of the Ottawa Police General Investigations Unit says they receive complaints each week, with victims in all age ranges. Ottawa Police have received approximately 50 reports in the last two months.

“So much of our social activities involve texting, email, pictures and a presence on social media platforms. Predators are always there, looking for victims,” says Det. Moore.

Online predators look for victims by first befriending them and then asking for photos. “If you give them photos or videos, they will demand more images, or money, under threat of releasing the explicit photos to family and friends in your contact list.”

“This scam works because victims think they are talking to someone living in the same city and of the gender they are attracted to,” says Det. Moore. But she warns that the person you are communicating with could be anyone, anywhere in the world and not the person they present themselves as online.

To gain the trust of the victim, the online friend may offer to share intimate images too. In some cases, a predator can take control of the victim’s webcam, so they are unaware their device is recording them. 

These criminals are adept at concealing their online identity and their location is often outside of Canadian jurisdiction making it difficult to conduct a thorough police investigation. The media platforms do not readily share private user information with police investigators without a production order or search warrant and are often based all over the world, making it difficult to identity the suspect or organized criminal group responsible.

Safety tips for users to prevent sextortion:

• Limit the amount of personal information you post, to make it difficult for scammers to learn information about you.
• Set your social media privacy settings to limit who can contact you.
• Don’t accept unknown friend requests.
• Cover your webcam when you aren’t using it so you can’t be recorded without your consent.
• Don’t click on links or download files from unknown sources. Anti-virus software can help filter out potentially dangerous emails.
• Requests for intimate images of yourself should be a red flag and never send them to any social media platform or electronic device.

 Tips for parents:

• Look for resources on how to keep your child safe online. https://protectchildren.ca/en/ offers good tips.
• Monitor your child’s online activities, social media profiles and who they are friends with.
• Talk to them about befriending strangers online and the information they share.
• Make them aware of online threats like sextortion, fake profiles, and fraud.
• Let them know they can come to you with questions or problems, and that you can help if something has happened.

 If you are the victim of sextortion Det. Moore advises, “don’t try to handle this alone,”

and take these steps:

• Stop all communication with the extortionist,
• Save all texts, images, and communications
• If you are a youth, or even if you are legally an adult, tell your parent or guardian, so they can help you,
• Contact police,
• Make a report through Cybertip.ca
• Report the suspect user through the social media platform from which they are contacting you.

“Culprits count on the highly personal nature of the matter to keep you from coming forward. No one is going to judge you. Reach out to police. Chances are that this predator has several victims and you can help stop them.”

Here's how an Ottawa senior was scammed out of $15,000

 https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/here-s-how-an-ottawa-senior-was-scammed-out-of-15-000-1.6228752

Maureen Maguss of Ottawa says she lost $15,000 to fraudsters in a telephone banking scam last fall. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

• Peter Szperling
• CTV News Ottawa Multi-Skilled Journalist
• Follow | Contact

Published Jan. 12, 2023 6:29 p.m. EST

An Ottawa senior is out thousands of dollars after she fell victim to a telephone banking scam.

It took just one phone call for Maureen Maguss to lose $15,000 last fall.

"I worked a long time to give myself some comfortable living," Maguss tells CTV News Ottawa.

She says she’s the victim of a telephone banking scam, which all started because of a phone call.

In October, she returned a voice message left on her landline. Maguss believed it was legitimate over fraudulent activity on her Visa line of credit.

"That there was some fraud on my card for about $1,300 for a purse, that I would never spend,” she says.

Maguss recently travelled to the United States to visit a friend, so when the person on the other end of the phone asked if she had travelled anywhere, it made the call seem even more legitimate.

The caller seemed to know some details about Maguss, and asked to verify the rest.

"It’s the bank. They knew my mother’s maiden name, they knew a certain amount of numbers, they knew part of my social insurance number, all these things which made sense to me."

However, it wasn’t the bank that called her.

"Turns out it wasn’t. It was a fraudster,” she says.

Maguss says the fraudsters then had her enter a code and phone number on her landline – possibly forwarding her incoming calls to the scammers, including ones from her actual bank.  

When she realized the next day that something just did not feel right, "I cancelled the card, I cancelled my access card, I stopped everything."

She contacted the fraud department at Scotiabank by calling the number on the back of her banking card. However, Maguss said within days, multiple transactions did go through totalling $15,000.

In an email statement to CTV News Ottawa, a spokesperson for Scotiabank says they’re unable to comment on individual customer matters because of privacy, but did provide suggestions in how to prevent fraud.

"We encourage our customers to be cautious of suspicious websites, text messages, phone calls, or emails that appear to represent trusted organizations requesting personal or financial information," Scotiabank said.

"While appearing legitimate, these can be malicious attempts to collect information for the purpose of committing fraud. If a customer believes they have been a victim of fraud, we encourage them to report it to us immediately at 1-866-625-0561."

There are steps you can take to protect yourself. Ottawa Police say when in doubt, just hang up on suspicious calls.

"They are so organized now that sometimes the call display on your phone will even show that it’s coming from your bank or from your credit card company," Ottawa Police Sgt. Chantal Arsenault said.

"But, you cannot take this as a guarantee that it is. You have to make your own research, you have to look up the number yourself and call the bank yourself."

You can also call or visit 211.ca. Arsenault says it’s a service that can help you find the right person to contact.  

Police say there are thousands of victims each year.

"Usually once the money is gone, it’s gone," Arsenault said.

Maguss is still hopeful she will get her money back, and wants the bank to reverse the charges,

"I never thought I would fall victim to something like this, but it’s a trust factor that I have always been brought up with."