
However, in a few reports the perpetrator asked for additional content (e.g., more intimate images/videos) in order for the imagery not to be shared. In almost every report the offender demanded money in order to keep the offender from hacking the teen’s account or sharing the imagery they had already obtained. In a number of the cases reported to Cybertip.ca, the teen’s intimate images were in fact shared either on the offender’s Snapchat story, the teen’s hacked Snapchat story, or were sent directly to the teen’s contacts the offender added or threatened to share with. In some instances the teen had previous interactions with the offender on Snapchat or other platforms prior to being threatened. Stalking the teen online and persistently contacting them until they comply with the demands. Providing a link to an external site or a page to “recover” their email and password, then using the information entered by the teen to take over their account.Īdding the teen’s friends on Snapchat or sending a picture of the teen’s followers as a manipulation tactic. Some tactics the offenders used included:Ĭontacting the teen through direct message on Snapchat, mentioning they have seen naked pictures of the teen on a site or they have naked pictures of the teen taken from the teen’s My Eyes Only folder (private snaps saved in the app that have a passcode) in Snapchat. In other cases, the teen’s Snapchat account was hacked and intimate images were distributed as a result. In some cases the perpetrator threatened to hack their Snapchat account and share intimate images of the teen. Since August 2021, both Cybertip.ca and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P), which operates Cybertip.ca, have received a combined 27 reports related to this extortion trend. Hacking Snapchat® accounts or using the threat of hacking to sextort teensĬybertip.ca, Canada’s tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children, is seeing an alarming trend in reports from teens who have had their Snapchat accounts hacked and had their intimate images or videos shared on the social media platform.
