Did you miss any important news this week? No worries! Stay informed with CBC’s Marketplace roundup of essential consumer and health updates.
If you want these updates directly in your inbox, subscribe to the Marketplace newsletter, available every Friday.
Young Boys Targeted Online by Sextorters, Profiting from Scams
Warning: This content touches on suicide.
“John,” a self-proclaimed scammer, disclosed that his full-time job involves enticing foreigners into sending him money.
Operating from Lagos, Nigeria, “John” explained to CBC’s Marketplace how he targets individuals on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, particularly focusing on celebrities’ and followers’ accounts.
Part of the “Yahoo Boys” group in Nigeria, scammers like John coerce teenagers into sending compromising photos, which are later used for blackmail.
Experts highlight the surge of sextortion schemes in Canada since 2021, with over 40 suicides in North America, Australia, and the U.K. linked to this form of exploitation, five of which occurred in Canada.
Paul Raffile, a sextortion and cybercrime researcher, emphasized the severity of these crimes, labeling them as the worst scams globally due to their exploitation of children and coercion into compromising situations.
To assess social media’s defenses against sextortion, Marketplace journalists conducted an undercover investigation by creating fake Instagram profiles posing as teenage boys.
Learn more from the Marketplace team.
- Watch the full investigation ‘The Sextortion Network’ on Friday at 8 p.m. (8:30 in N.L.) on YouTube, CBC TV, and CBC Gem.
Amazon Allows Offensive Term ‘Wife Beater’ in Ads for Tank Tops
Amazon’s Canadian platform showcases several ads for men’s tank tops using the term “wife beater,” a descriptor deemed offensive and in violation of Canada’s advertising standards.
This slang term originated in the 1930s for a type of tight-fitting men’s undershirt, gaining notoriety in 1951 when Marlon Brando wore one in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Continued acceptance of the term by Amazon has sparked criticism from women’s rights advocates, who find it disrespectful and offensive.
Harmy Mendoza, Executive Director of WomanACT, initiated a petition urging Amazon to remove the term from its product descriptions.
In response, Amazon emphasized its commitment to inclusivity and cultural sensitivity in product listings on its website.
Read more from CBC’s Sophia Harris.