SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

May 2, 2020

BITCOIN BLACKMAIL SCAMS

Courtesy US Federal Trade Commission

Bitcoin blackmail scams have taken a big jump in the last few weeks. The scammer emails may say they hacked into your computer and recorded your visiting adult websites.

They threaten to distribute the video to your friends and family within hours, unless you pay into their Bitcoin account.  Stop. Don’t pay anything. Delete the message. It is a scam.

Based on the timing of this spike, you may get one of these messages because your email was exposed in a recent data breach. The scammers may say they have access to your computer or webcam, or they may have installed clever software to defeat you. That’s all just talk.

But they may really know one of your old – or recent – passwords. They may include it in the message as proof. When you see that, you know it’s time to update your password on that account, and consider updating other passwords, too.

If you, or someone you know, get a message like this, please report it to the FTC at http://www.FTC.gov/Complaint.