Police in Midland are joining other police services in Ontario in warning about an extortion email making the rounds that threatens to expose people's online activities to their contacts if they don't give in to a demand for payment in Bitcoin.
The OPP's Southern Georgian Bay Detachment and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said they are raising awareness for North Simcoe residents about the scam.
In a news release, police said the CAFC is receiving reports of various extortion letters received via email.
"The extortion letters contain the full name, personal telephone number, personal residential address as well a screenshot from search engines of the recipient's residence," police said in a news release.
The extortion letter claims that the recipient has visited explicit websites and threatens to send a copy of a video to the recipient's contact list unless payment via cryptocurrency is made, police said, adding a variation of the letter contains a QR Code.
"Similar to other extortion scams, fraudsters are attempting to scare victims into sending funds," police said.
Extortion scams are defined as "when someone unlawfully obtains money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution through coercion".
Police offered the following safety tips:
- Do not scan QR Codes provided by an unknown source. They could infect your device.
- If you received a message threatening, report it to your local police immediately.
- Remember that fraudsters use high-pressure intimidation tactics to try to steal your money.
- Ensure that your social media profiles are at the highest privacy levels
- Limit sharing personal details on social media
- Should you believe any of your personal information has been compromised, you are encouraged to contact Equifax and TransUnion to flag your accounts.
- Be suspicious of any unsolicited messages or social media requests including those that are
- threatening or accuse you of owing money for a service you never used or planned to have.
- Do not send money under pressure.
- Do not reply to threatening messages.
- Learn more tips on how to protect yourself.
Police said anyone who has received an extortion message should report it to their local police immediately.
After contacting local police, the OPP said it is important to report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's via its online reporting system or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. If you are not a victim, it is still important to report the incident to the CAFC https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/report-signalez-eng.htm. Police said reporting can prevent further harm.
