HALDIMAND COUNTY, ON – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Haldimand County Detachment is warning, and reminding, the public to be extremely careful when sharing images and videos over the internet after a Haldimand County resident met an unknown person on line and after sharing an explicit video with the individual an extortion attempt was made.
Haldimand County OPP said they were contacted at about 2:17 a.m. Wednesday, May 17, 2023 by a resident reporting an extortion.
OPP said a Haldimand County resident had met an unknown individual online and they began to correspond. OPP said while conversing online, an explicit video was shared with this unknown individual.
OPP said the victim was then contacted by the same person who had downloaded the video to the internet and demanded money be paid before the video would be taken off the social media websites. The victim paid approximately $350 however the video was not taken down. Whe a second request for additional funds was made the victim realized they were being extorted and immediately contacted police.
OPP are warning the public of the long- and short-term dangers when requests are made to send out sexually explicit photographs or videos. Those who distribute it also need to be aware of the criminal ramifications of doing so. Once it’s out there, you can’t get it back and you should not be embarrassed to speak to police about your concerns,” said Constable Ed Sanchuk, Haldimand County OPP.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or leave an anonymous online message at www.helpsolvecrime.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2000.
