North Van Mounties warning of blackmail, Bitcoin extortion scam

After receiving four reports in two days, Mounties in North Vancouver are putting out a public warning about an ongoing extortion scam in the region.

The North Vancouver RCMP explains that the perpetrators contact the victims, claiming to have acquired “compromising pictures,” and then direct them to send money to a Bitcoin wallet — or else the pictures will be sent to the victim’s loved ones.

Mounties say the scam usually starts with the perpetrator 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 DOB 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,” Mounties added.

Police explained that in the four cases reported to police, none of the victims complied with the request for money and instead went straight to police.

“We are asking residents to exercise caution to avoid falling victim to this scam and report these scams through our online crime reporting tool,” Const. Mansoor Sahak shared Wednesday.

Police are urging people to protect themselves online by not giving out personal information or information about your computer; not opening emails, files, or links from people you do not know and trust; and being mindful of sharing information on personal accounts or websites.