Police Warn After Guelph Man Threatened With Release of Private Footage

A routine chat on a dating app quickly turned into a frightening ordeal for a Guelph resident. Police are renewing warnings about online extortion after a private video was used to demand money.

Residents are again reminded not to share intimate images with strangers after a Guelph man was extorted online.

On Tuesday afternoon the victim, in his 20s, contacted police. He explained he met a woman on a dating app and they began chatting via social media. During the chat the man sent an intimate video of himself.

A short time later, the woman sent the man screenshots of his Facebook friends list and threatened to publish the video if the man did not send her “thousands” of dollars.

When the man said he could only pay $800, he received a call from a phone number registered in the Philippines demanding he send money. The victim got scared and deleted all his social media accounts.

Residents are strongly urged not to share intimate images online, as they can easily be captured and shared or used to commit crimes.