Ontario men become the target of extortion after posing naked online

Ontario police are warning the public not to expose themselves online, financially or otherwise, after a pair of young men were caught naked on camera and extorted out of money by cyber-fraudsters.

Durham Regional Police say the two victims were lured into posing naked on the Internet by cyber-criminals and later tried to pay an extortion fee of 500 euros to make the problem go away. Of course, that didn't make the problem go away.

Durham police say a 21-year-old from Whitby, Ont., was in an Internet chat room on Aug. 30 and talking to who he believed to be a young woman when he was convinced to remove his clothing and fondle himself on the webcam.

He was soon sent a copy of the incident from the suspect, actually a male, who demanded money. The victim paid the bribe, but when the suspect demanded more money the victim contacted police.

A second incident that occurred on Sept. 1, was reported by an 18-year-old Clarington, Ont., man who visited the same chat room.

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In both cases, a demand for 500 euros was made. In both cases, the threat involved releasing the video to the victim's social media network.

This is not an issue limited to Ontario. Earlier this year, police in Gatineau, Que., announced 10 similar cases all involving alleged women convincing men to strip naked during web chats.

Earlier this summer, Shannon Bradford Dixon was found guilty of attempting to extort thousands of dollars from Alberta women he met through Internet dating websites. Part of those extortion plots included posting nude photos of the women online or sending them to their employers.

In B.C., teen Amanda Todd committed suicide after a man convinced her to send compromising photographs over the Internet and later used them to threaten and torture her.

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Sensitivity must be shown to these victims, but one must also wonder why people continue to allow themselves to be recorded and photographed naked online. Nothing good happens when you permit nude photographs to float into cyberspace.

The Internet is no longer a novelty. We know bad people are out there looking to upload viruses, attack you personally and financially and embarrass you for pleasure, knowing there is little recourse.

The RCMP says Internet intimidation is a growing concern and crimes such as extortion are a serious problem online.

"It is important to understand that today almost any 'traditional' crime can be committed with the help of technology," the force says of Internet security. "Those who are victims of cybercrimes must understand that they have the same recourse than if the offence had been committed without the use of technology."

The same recourse is available, yes. But first we must find those responsible, and that can be a tricky proposition. If the suspects who tricked the two Ontario men into posing naked online are, say, in Europe, charging them criminally might not be as simple as it sounds.

The Internet is a highly-anonymous place. Unless you are caught posing in your birthday suit, of course.

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