BRANFORD — Police are alerting residents of a Bitcoin email scam circulating in the community that threatens to release videos of recipients watching illicit content unless they pay $2,000.
The Branford Police Department has been informed of the scam, which has also been reported in other parts of Connecticut and states.
Scammers claim to have hacked into individuals’ computers and captured them viewing illegal material.
They then demand payment in Bitcoin, threatening to distribute the supposed recordings to the victim’s family and contacts.
According to authorities, the fraudulent emails may include a Google Earth image of the recipient’s home and a QR code to facilitate the Bitcoin payment.
Residents receiving such emails are advised not to send payment.
Instead, they should block the sender and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
The police department urges anyone who has fallen victim to the scam and has sent funds to contact the Branford Police non-emergency line at 203-481-4241 to file a report.
