Almost two-thirds of teenagers globally have been targeted for “sextortion” schemes by criminals seeking to pressure victims into sexual activity or extort money, according to recent research. Sixty-five percent of Generation Z teens and young adults have been targets of “catfishing” scams across popular social media platforms or had their personal data hacked by criminals,…

The parents of a 17-year-old Michigan teenager who took his own life after being targeted in a “sextortion” scam online are warning parents to have “tough conversations” with their children about the dangers posed by such scams. Jordan DeMay, from Marquette, Michigan, was found dead by law enforcement officers on March 25, 2022, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound….

A panicked 14-year-old from British Columbia and his family paid $1,500 to a company that claimed it would recover intimate images that were being used to extort him. It didn’t. Darren Laur, chief training officer at White Hatter, an internet safety and digital literacy education company based in Victoria said the teen’s family reached out…

In 2022, 90,137 incidents of fraud were reported, with 56,352 Canadian victims and a total loss of $530 million, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). Each year, CAFC documents new frauds, trying to stay ahead of scammers who keep coming up with more innovative ways to victimize Canadians for their money. This month, for…

One in three Australians experience image-based sexual abuse, but many don’t know where to go for help. However, researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have developed a world-first artificial intelligence chatbot, Umibot, which they hope will encourage victims to report incidents of image-based abuse and find support. At present, image-based abuse has spiralled…

A sentencing hearing for a Dutch national convicted of harassing and extorting British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd before her suicide has been scheduled for next month. Justice Martha Devlin set the hearing for Aydin Coban to begin on Sept. 20 in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. A jury delivered a unanimous verdict on Saturday…

The mother of Amanda Todd hopes her daughter’s case brings increased awareness of the devastating impacts of “sextortion”, as a jury in the trial of a Dutch man accused of blackmailing the British Columbia teenager begins its first full day of deliberations. Carol Todd says her daughter was “disabled” by depression and anxiety caused by…

Carol Todd said she wants her daughter’s legacy to live on past a verdict as the jury began its deliberations Friday at the trial of Amanda Todd’s alleged tormentor. Fighting back tears, Todd said she is hopeful the jury finds Dutch national Aydin Coban guilty on all five counts he is charged with, but is…

The British Columbia Supreme Court justice in the trial of a Dutch man charged with harassing and extorting teenager Amanda Todd told the jury to “take special care” with the teen’s statements. Justice Martha Devlin said because Todd died in October 2012 and didn’t testify and wasn’t able to be cross-examined at Aydin Coban’s trial,…

Sharing a link is “not child pornography,” says a defence lawyer for a Dutch man accused of harassment and extortion of British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd. Joseph Saulnier told the jury in Aydin Coban’s B.C. Supreme Court trial Wednesday there was evidence that a video titled “AmandaTodd.wmv” was played on a device seized from his…