OVER 100 youth from southern Alberta have been victimized by sextortion scam offences since March and the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit of Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) is reminding parents to promote online safety in the home.
Sextortion scam offences have inundated ICE and the same can be said for its partner agencies across Alberta, even worldwide. ICE has partnered with colleagues from around the world, including the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre (NCECC), Toronto Police Service, the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Australian Federal Police to investigate and disrupt sextortion offences.
Recently, ICE’s international partnership proved valuable with the arrest of an Australian-based offender who extorted $1,000 from a Calgary youth. ICE’s investigation traced the recipient of the proceeds of crime and an arrest was made in September.
“It’s heart-breaking to see first-hand the devastating impact these types of offences are having on kids, and our colleagues in the U.S. have linked sextortion to more than a dozen suicides. ICE units worldwide are collaborating to investigate, but we really need help in raising further awareness and making sure these conversations are taking place in homes and schools,” said Detective Dean Jacobs, ALERT ICE.
“Our unit has handled well over 100 cases, but the sad reality is that we know the numbers are much…
