MONCTON, N.B. — The RCMP in New Brunswick are investigating after a young man allegedly pretended to be a teenaged girl online and lured as many as 2,000 boys.
Police say the 24-year-old Moncton man, who cannot be named because of a court ordered publication ban, is facing several sex offences after allegedly luring boys between the ages of 10 and 16 from at least January 2012 to last fall.
The Mounties say the man allegedly contacted the boys through live video chats of various social media sites including Skype, Facebook, Omegle and Vichatter.
They say he used a video of a teenage girl that appeared to be live and convinced the boys to undress and initiate sex acts, which he allegedly taped and distributed on the Internet.
Police say there could be as many as 2,000 alleged victims worldwide, including in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia and Russia.
Investigators say it's possible that some boys may not even be aware that they were victimized and police are urging potential victims to come forward.
