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A serial "badtorsionist" targets teenagers in the Montreal area through the "Fortnite" game, according to a Quebec police service.
Police in Richelieu-Saint-Laurent said they were investigating at least four cases of teen scams online, after being pushed to send badually explicit or compromising photos to a user encountered through the multiplayer game. online.
Sgt. Jean-Luc Tremblay told CTV Montreal that in each case, the investigation revealed that the predator had used the same tactic.
The scammer would create a fake Instagram profile and try to incorporate it into groups of friends playing the game.
Once the contact was established, they then gave the victim a code that allowed him to reach a higher level in the game.
But it would simply be a tactic to isolate the potential victim by engaging him in private conversations.
Over time, the scammer pushed the victims to send photographs, making them sing for more explicit images and money by threatening to publish the photos they had already sent.
In a press release, the police warned teenagers never to give in to this type of blackmail because paying will not protect the victims.
The police say that the payment may encourage the singer to ask more in the future, or simply publish the photos online, whatever.
Investigators say they have not identified the suspect, adding that this could take time due to the nature of the crime.
"These are technological crimes, so sometimes it can be complicated before we can get hold of someone," said Tremblay, "but all our efforts are ongoing, all the necessary resources will be used in the future. investigation."
The victims, all young men in high school, have no connection to each other outside the game, according to Tremblay.
The police think that there could be several other victims who have not yet manifested themselves.
With a report by Stéphane Giroux of CTV Montreal
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