A provincial politician says he and his wife were victimized by online hackers in a blackmail scheme this week.
In a statement released by the Progressive Conservative party,
Hammonds Plains-Lucasville PC MLA Rick Burns said hackers accessed his email and requested money, which the family refused to pay.
“Because we refused payment, the hackers accessed files on my devices. As punishment, personal images and videos of my wife and I were accessed and shared without our consent,” Burns said.
“To have such intimate images accessed and released is a gross violation of our privacy and is completely unacceptable. This is bigger than me. This is a gross violation of my wife’s privacy, and we are both victims of a grotesque crime.”
Burns said in Wednesday’s statement that he knows being an elected official comes with increased scrutiny, but “no one signs up for having their privacy violated in this manner and no politician’s partner deserves to be targeted in this way.”
He said police are investigating the incident.
In a separate statement, Premier Tim Houston said he was “deeply troubled” to learn of the hack and blackmail.
“No one should ever be subjected to this kind of violation,” he said. “When criminals target public officials with blackmail, they are attempting to compromise the people Nova Scotians have chosen to represent them and shake the very core of our democracy.”
He said “we cannot and will not accept a climate where serving your community in public life makes you and your family a target for extortion.”
Houston said he has full confidence police will investigate thoroughly and hold those responsible to account.
“Our government will always stand against any attempt to intimidate, coerce, or blackmail those who serve the public.”
RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Mandy Edwards said Burns contacted police Tuesday to report he had been hacked and was being extorted. She said the hacker demanded a payment in Bitcoin and threatened that if the funds weren’t paid the images would be shared.
She said the file is in the hands of the integrated criminal investigation division of the RCMP and Halifax Regional Police but these kinds of cases can be lengthy.
“Where it involves technology, that is a process as well, taking the devices and examining them; it will take time to ensure a thorough investigation is completed.”
Edwards said if you’re a victim of extortion, the RCMP advises you don’t send money under pressure and don’t reply to threatening messages. You should document and preserve all evidence and report the incident to your local police and the
.