There’s a pornography email extortion scam circulating in the area.
Norfolk County OPP say a concerned citizen contacted them on Tuesday morning after receiving a bizarre email saying her accounts had been hacked.
The email also indicated that the sender was aware of the adult websites that the woman visited and if she refused to forward a quantity of bitcoin, pictures and video of the pornography sites would be forwarded to everyone in her contact list.
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Police say these types of messages are commonly known as scareware and are designed to create anxiety, resulting in the recipient sending money.
However, police say the woman realized it was a scam, so no money was forwarded and no personal information was provided.
The OPP is offering the following tips to avoid being scammed:
- Never download anti-virus software from a pop-up or link sent to you through an e-mail.
- Update your anti-virus software often and scan your computer for viruses regularly.
- Don’t click on links or attachments in e-mails sent to you by someone you don’t know.
- Turn on your browser’s pop-up blocking feature.
- Never click on a pop-up that claims your computer has a virus.
If you receive one of these messages, please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or www.antifraudcentre.ca.
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