DRPS Financial Crimes investigators are asking members of the public to be mindful of a recent increase in email sextortion scams in Durham Region.
Investigators at DRPS have seen an increase in this scam where the victim receives a threatening email from an unfamiliar contact. The email claims that the recipient’s computer has been hacked, that the sender has captured video of them visiting pornographic websites, and threatens to share the video with the victim’s contacts if they do not pay, usually asking for funds to be transferred in Bitcoin (BTC) to a wallet address. The scammers apply pressure on the recipient by setting a short time limit, said the police.
They added that these fraudulent emails attempt to prove their legitimacy by including one of the recipient’s passwords. In many cases the password is being confirmed by recipients as an old password. These passwords were likely collected during previous frauds (e.g. phishing scam or database breach.)
Police said the best way to protect yourself from this scam is by:
– Not opening unsolicited emails
– Do not send money under pressure
– Use a strong password or paraphrase
– Use a different password for every account
– Do not share your personal or financial information
– Regularly update your computer’s operating and anti-virus software
Anyone who may have been a victim of fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or report online at www.antifraudcentre.ca
The password they have is from some online forums. Not sure which one they hacked yet.