MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Law enforcement are warning about a scheme that is attempting to extort victims by falsely claiming they have video of them doing personal and embarrassing things.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday they have received multiple complaints from the public about these so-called "sextortion" emails. Police in Port St. Lucie also posted Wednesdaythat they have seen similar reports.
Investigators said these messages often address the recipient by name and falsely claim that malware has been placed on their phone or computer, inappropriately recording the victim.
"To increase the fear and credibility of the threat, the emails even include a photo of the victim's home or yard," according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said the photos of the homes are taken from internet mapping sites like Google Maps.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said so far he does not know of anyone paying the ransom. He said it's an old scheme but the use of Google Maps is a new twist.
"The scammer claims to have hacked your phone or computer's camera and recorded you while visiting pornographic sites, bathing, dressing, or doing other personal things," the sheriff's office said.
The emailer will then threaten to release the video to all your contacts unless you pay a ransom using Bitcoin.
"In most cases, the demand is around $2,000, payable by scanning a QR code embedded in the email. DO NOT OPEN THE QR CODE," the sheriff's office said.
The "sextortion" message also says you have 24 hours to pay or your embarrassing videos will be sent to your contacts, friends and family.
Among the people who have received the email is Mark Kline. He said the email he received had a picture of the place where he used to live.
"This one was very aggressive and very hostile," Kline said. "That's what really alarmed me."
The email demanded he pay $1,950 in Bitcoin.
"I can imagine someone not thinking this might be spam would be very scared by that and potentially influenced just by that alone to meet the demands of the letter," Kline said.
If you receive an email of this nature, law enforcement advises you to simply delete it.