A Salmon Arm man found there's a price to pay for baring it all after becoming the victim of attempted sextortion.
A man came forward to police June 7 to report to that someone online was trying to blackmail him for $10,000, and admitted to officers that he had made a nude video of himself several months ago, but hadn't shared it with anyone. Someone had then created a female Facebook profile and befriended the man over a course of a few weeks.
The extortionist was eventually revealed to be a man with a strong European accent after leaving a voice message for his victim.
"The extortionist claimed to be with the FBI and was 'tracking down pedophiles', and claimed that if the man didn't pay $10,000, he would release the nude video to the man's friends and family," Const. Andrew Hodges said in a June 19 media release.
He added that it wasn't clear if the extortionist actually had access to the video, or just the knowledge it existed and was trying to use that information to his advantage.
When he reported the attempted sextortion, the man had already de-activated all his social media accounts and was in the process of advising family and friends they might receive a "special video" of him.
"Police advised against sending any money as, regardless of whether he sent the money or not, the video may still be shared," Hodges said, adding that police are still trying to identify the extortionist.