The Surrey Police Service (SPS) says it has published a series of videos on social media aiming to reach people who are being lured into committing extortion-related crimes.

SPS Sgt. Tige Pollock tells 1130 NewsRadio that the videos will prevent people from getting involved.

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He encourages people who do get approached to walk away and contact the police.

“It is not worth the money, and if you are approached, say no and then contact the police, and then we’ll investigate it further,” Pollock said.

He says prevention is key to getting a hold of the extortion threat.

He adds that the message of the video campaign is simple: don’t take the risk.

“There is a risk of getting arrested depending on your status in Canada. There is a risk of getting deported. There’s a risk of getting injured,” Pollock added.

This year alone, there have been dozens of extortion attempts, including at least 11 confirmed shootings in Surrey alone.

The videos can be watched on the SPS YouTube page.