Canada’s anti-money-laundering watchdog says it has observed an increase in financially motivated cases of child sexual exploitation, including extortion schemes linked to organized crime.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FinTRAC) published a new report Thursday aimed at helping businesses identify and report financial transactions associated with the sexual exploitation of children online.

The operational alert builds upon FinTRAC’s previous guidance on the topic, which was published in 2020, by leveraging findings from its financial intelligence.

“The exploitation of children is one of the most appalling crimes imaginable and it’s enabled by financial payments,” Sarah Paquet, FinTRAC’s director and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

“The en

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