Man charged in sextortion cases across Canada

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This article was published 28/06/2023 (900 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police have arrested a man accused of blackmailing men and boys in several provinces, including Manitoba, by soliciting their nude images online and then threatening to release the pictures publicly.

Winnipeg Police Service financial crimes officers began an investigation in January, after a man in his 20s reported being extorted by an unknown person he met on social media.

Investigators said the victim shared intimate images of himself with a person purporting to be a young woman. After receiving the images, the other party demanded payment and threatened to share the images online.

The man paid the money via an e-transfer and did not hear from the unknown person again, WPS spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said Wednesday at a news conference.

It falls among a growing trend of scams dubbed “sextortion” by police and cybersafety advocates, which typically involves a suspect threatening to distribute intimate or sexual images of a victim after they’ve gained their trust through “sexually charged” conversations online, typically through common social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, officials said.

Typically, the suspect will demand payment. Victims are often male teenagers or young adults who believe they are communicating with a woman.

More than 3,400 children and young adults in Canada have reported being targeted by online sextortion in the last 12 months, said Stephen Sauer, director of cybertip.ca.

However, he said, the crime often goes unreported.

“The true scale of the problem is much greater than these numbers suggest,” Sauer said. “The incredible work of the Winnipeg police on this case is among the first examples that we are aware of here in Canada of law enforcement disrupting the commercial incentive of those engaged in this crime.”

WPS investigators identified a suspect — and three additional reported victims in the alleged local “sextortion” scheme — in February.

The Winnipeg man was initially charged with four counts of extortion.

Police then linked the accused to similar crimes across Canada, including six more victims from Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario and Prince Edward Island, and filed additional charges in June.

Tongun Justin Tongun, 21, has been charged with a total 10 counts of extortion. He was released on an undertaking.

WPS investigators said they believe there could be more potential victims.

Tongun has no past convictions in Manitoba, court records show, but was charged with assault and theft under $5,000 in April, as well as another count of assault and two counts of breaching an undertaking in June.

He’s due in provincial court July 4.

WPS financial crimes Sgt. Trevor Thompson said suspects in such cases, including this one, often have ties to organized crime networks overseas.

“There’s sophisticated, organized criminal networks operating outside of Canadian borders, targeting our youth,” he said.

Thompson would not reveal details of how police were able to identify the suspect, but said such investigations are complicated, involving third parties, including social media companies, banks and money transfer businesses.

In this case, he said, investigators were able to identify victims elsewhere and alert other police agencies.

Thompson would not reveal how much money was extorted, but said it was less than other scams Winnipeg police typically investigate, such as those involving crypto currencies.

“The damage to the victims here is emotional, psychological, and that’s what we should really focus on.”

Sauer said a would-be victim should never share their nude photos or send money, but if they have, to stop communication and document what happened before reporting it to police or cybertip.ca.

The cybersafety advocate said he would like to see governments take legislative action to protect people from exploitation online.

“If we want to fundamentally improve online safety, we need regulatory guardrails in place to ensure technology companies are required to prioritize safety,” said Sauer.

That could include making social media companies issue comprehensive messaging on the dangers of sharing information with strangers online, and preventing adults from being able to contact youth they do not know on social media, as well as tracking whether scammers are making multiple accounts for the same purpose, he said.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca