There have been three cases in Richmond recently where fraudsters have threatened to release personal information if victims didn't pay up in Bitcoin, Richmond RCMP say.
The victims were contacted through a social media platform, where the scammers demanded about $2,000 in Bitcoin. The scammers then threatened to release personal information—such as victims’ full address, phone number, occupation and compromising photos if the ransom was not paid.
In some cases, images of what appear to be victims’ homes were also included in the extortion message.
Richmond RCMP is warning the public about such Bitcoin extortion scams, which appear to be part of a larger trend across the Lower Mainland.
"These frauds are extremely distressing because they involve legitimate personal information that scammers have obtained," said Cpl. Adriana O’Malley, Richmond RCMP media relations officer.
"Thankfully, all of the victims recognized the scam and did not pay. However, with the sensitive nature of the information, it’s easy to see how someone could fall prey to such tactics."
Tips to protect against scams
Richmond RCMP offers the following tips to help protect against online scams:
Familiarize yourself with social media privacy settings, and consider limiting who has access to your personal information (i.e. friends list, location);
Be skeptical of unexpected messages, especially those that attempt to pressure or scare you;
Don’t comply with any threats;
Cease all communication with the individual if you suspect fraud;
Deactivate (but do not permanently delete) any accounts used to communicate with the fraudster;
Report the incident to police.
To learn more about fraud trends in Canada and ways to protect yourself visit the Canada Anti-Fraud Centre website.
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