Surrey RCMP warn of blackmail, Bitcoin extortion scam

Surrey

2024-09-20 12:03 PDT

File # 2024-09-20

Surrey RCMP is warning residents about a recent uptick to a familiar extortion scam after receiving 29 reports in a three-day span.

In one of the scams, perpetrators claim to have acquired compromising pictures of the victim and direct them to send money to a Bitcoin wallet or else the pictures will be shared to their friends and family. In another scam, one suspect claim to have victim’s browsing history on the internet and claims that victim accessed pornographic sites and threatens to expose the victim to their family and friends.

The scam starts with the suspect sending an email to the victim stating that they have been looking at adult content online and that malware has captured compromising photos of the victims doing so.

The suspect then provides a photo of the victim’s house along with their name and date of birth as proof that they know where the victim lives. The suspect then demands a $2,000 payment to be made immediately via Bitcoin wallet or they will release the photos to family and friends.

Surrey RCMP conducts pro-active education on scams and frauds regularly to the community and it has definitely helped as none of the victim who filed the police report gave into the threats. We want the community to be vigilant and call police if they receive this type of emails, texts or calls says Cpl. Sarbjit K. Sangha, Media Relations Officer for Surrey RCMP.

Threats of explicit videos

Often sent via email, a scammer claims to have hacked your computer and recorded you performing an explicit act (i.e., masturbation). They may cite some of your personal information (e.g. Social Insurance Number) or a password you have used as proof of the hack. They will threaten to release the video publicly if you do not pay a fee via Bitcoin.

Please know the computer has not been hacked. The password cited was likely obtained in a previous data breach.

Protect yourself On the Internet:

• Do not give out personal information or information about your computer.
• Do not open email, files, or links from people you do not know and trust.
• Be very mindful in sharing information on Personal Accounts or Websites

If you are a victim of sextortion:

• Immediately stop all communication. Deactivate (but don’t delete) any of the accounts you are using to communicate with the individual.
• Do not comply with the threat. In other words, never pay money and never send additional nudes. The situation will not get better by doing either of these things.
• If you have sent money, check to see if it has been collected and, if not, quickly cancel the payment.
• Make a police report.
• Keep the correspondence. Keep information such as the person’s username(s), social media account information, a copy of the communications, along with any images and/or videos that were sent.
• Talk to a trusted adult or counsellor.

You can find more information here Extortion (antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca)

Released by:

Email: surrey_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Website: surrey.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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