
16/11/2024
🚨 SCAM ALERT: BEWARE OF SEXTORTION AND EXTORTION TACTICS 🚨
The Camden Police Department would like to inform the community about a concerning trend of s*xtortion email scams. These scams are becoming more sophisticated, often involving emails or letters where scammers claim they have compromised your computer and recorded compromising videos through your we**am or collected your personal data. They threaten to release this content unless you pay a ransom, typically in Bitcoin.
South Carolina Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (SC CIC) has reported several such incidents across the state, with victims being targeted by scammers who claim to have access to private videos or images. These scammers may include photos of your home, street, or mailbox, likely obtained from Google Maps, to make their threats appear more credible.
Key Red Flags in Sextortion Scams:
1. Urgent and Threatening Language: The scammer will attempt to create panic by demanding immediate action.
2. Ransom Requests: The scammers often demand payment in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, which is hard to trace.
3. Technical Threats: Scammers claim they’ve installed spyware like Pegasus on your devices, which they say gives them remote access to your we**am or computer.
4. Personalization: They might mention your name, local addresses, or include photos of your home to frighten you into believing their threats are real.
5. Threat of Exposure: They claim to have embarrassing information, such as videos of you watching adult content, which they threaten to share with your contacts unless you comply.
What To Do If You Receive These Threats:
• ⚠️ Do NOT respond to the scammer or make any payments. ⚠️
• Ignore the threats and avoid interacting with the sender.
• Report the incident to the Camden Police Department immediately.
• Ensure that your devices are secured by using strong passwords and keeping your software updated.
• ‼️Be aware that scammers often use publicly available data to make their claims seem more credible, but it’s part of the intimidation tactic.‼️
Additional resources are available to help protect you from scams at fbi.gov/scams-and-safety and krebsonsecurity.com.
Stay vigilant, Camden, and remember, scammers rely on fear—stay calm and report suspicious activity.
Stay safe, Camden!