Extortion has long evolved far beyond the brute-force shakedowns of small business owners that dominate public perception, according to a senior Trinidadian law enforcement official, who detailed increasingly sophisticated, exploitative criminal schemes preying on shame, fear and secrecy. The comments came hours after officers from the country’s Anti-Extortion Unit (AEU) took two suspects into custody at their separate residences in Caparo early yesterday, marking the latest progress in an ongoing crackdown on the pervasive crime.
Acting between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., a tactical AEU team led by Acting Commissioner of Police Richard Smith, and including Corporals Baksh and Rampersad, executed targeted raids at two addresses: one on Hall Street, just off Todds Road, and a second property directly on Todds Road. The two arrestees, aged 32 and 38, were transported to AEU headquarters in Chaguanas, where they remained in custody for questioning as of last night.
In an exclusive interview with the Express following the arrests, the unnamed senior AEU officer laid out one of the most common predatory new tactics: catfishing extortion via the popular LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr. He explained that perpetrators lure unsuspecting users into prearranged casual intimate encounters, secretly record the meeting, then demand cash payment to prevent the explicit footage from being shared publicly on social media. What makes this scheme so pernicious, the officer added, is that most victims are too afraid of social embarrassment to come forward and report the crime, even when the extortionists demand high-value payments. Multiple victims have already surrendered their vehicles to satisfy the extortionists’ demands, he confirmed.
Beyond the dating app scam, the officer outlined a second elaborate con that targets vulnerable people with deep pockets. Extortionists pose as hired contract killers, contacting their target to inform them that a third party has paid for their murder. They then offer to spare the victim’s life in exchange for paying off the value of the original contract, which typically ranges from $40,000 to $60,000. Once the victim pays that sum, the scammers double down, offering to kill the person who originally put the hit out – and demand a second, even larger payout for that service. Beyond these two high-profile schemes, the officer noted that a wide range of other extortion tactics are currently in use across the country.
The senior official also added a key caveat for law enforcement: not every reported extortion claim is legitimate. In some cases, people who claim to be extortion victims are actually attempting to avoid repaying debts they owe to third parties, misleading police to escape their financial obligations.
The arrests this week come amid persistent reports of traditional extortion still targeting small businesses across central Trinidad. Earlier this week, an Express reporter visited multiple popular vending hubs in the region, where several vendors privately admitted that criminals still regularly demand informal “protection taxes” to allow them to operate their stalls without harassment or violence. While many vendors reported no experience with such demands, a small but notable number confirmed they still face regular extortion threats.