By Staff
July 14th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s not that we don’t have enough on our plates – the thieves and the scammers are out their plying their trade.
The Halton Regional Police issued a notice this morning urging people to be alert and to think about anything that pops up in their email that doesn’t look quite right.
Since the early summer of 2020, the Halton Regional Police Service – 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau has seen an increase in online extortion investigations.
A common theme in these investigations starts with a message from an unknown sender to a victim which leads to private conversations in applications such as Snap Chat or Instagram. The suspect will then attempt to extort the victim for money, with images or video they obtained through the chat.
Halton Police would like to remind the community of the importance of safe internet practices to avoid becoming the victim of such scams.
Some tips include:
-Avoid engaging in conversations with strangers.
-Avoid engaging in compromising behaviour online.
-Do not to do anything on camera that you’re not comfortable with your friends or family seeing.
Anyone with information regarding these types of offences is asked to contact Detective Constable Ian Lynn of the 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext 2442.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
