Ridge Meadows RCMP receives multiple reports of bitcoin blackmail scams

The Ridge Meadows RCMP says it has recently received multiple reports from people being targeted in an ongoing extortion scam.

Police say the scam involves victims being contacted by email or letters with warnings that malware has captured images and videos of them looking at adult content online.

The victims are provided with Google Street images of their homes, along with other personal information, to prove the scammer or scammers know where they live.

The scam then directs the victims to send a $2,000 payment to a bitcoin wallet, saying the pictures will be sent to the victims’ families and friends if they do not transfer the money.

Fortunately, in all cases, the victims did not comply and instead called the police.

The RCMP says that anyone contacted in such a scam should immediately stop all communication and deactivate — but don’t delete — any accounts used to communicate with scammers. In no way should anyone send them money or any compromising images.

Victims should keep copies all correspondence with scammers and make a police report, the RCMP says.