Territorial RCMP are asking the public to be on the lookout for an ongoing Bitcoin scam.
NWT Detachments in recent months have received several reports of a certain scheme that involves victims receiving threatening letters or emails saying that they have been observing “adult content” and that malware on their computers has captured compromising images of the victim.
The perpetrators then provide an image of the victim’s home acquired by Google Street View as a scare tactic to convince the victim to pay their ransom. Payment is often requested in the form of Bitcoin, and in return, the victim’s supposed online activities will be kept secret.
While many instances of this scheme have occurred in other parts of the country, NWT RCMP have been made aware that a few attempts have been made against Northern residents.
If any message like this is received, the RCMP advise residents to not engage with the sender, and report the instance to their local detachment through a non-emergency line.
