Instances of young people being targeted in sextortion scams are happening “all the time,” prompting police to ask people to be vigilant of their online behaviours.

Sextortion is when an online predator tricks someone into giving them nude images or videos, and then demands money, more images, or makes other demands – threatening to share the images with the victim’s friends and family if they don’t comply.

Sergeant Chad Norman, lead for the RCMP-RNC Integrated Internet Child Exploitation Team says sometimes it doesn’t take much for the predator the gain access to the initial images.

He says such attacks are coming in all different forms and people need to be “media smart.”

He says it needs to be a concerted effort between the parents and their children.

As well, he encourages parents to have open communication with their kids so they feel comfortable telling them if they are victimized.

Norman cautions against sharing too much personal information on social media, and points to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection as a great online resource to get information about how to protect against such attacks.