Anti-fraud investigators in southern Ontario say a data breach may have been a catalyst for a recent rash of complaints about a specific phishing scam attempting to extort bitcoin payments from residents.
Halton regional police (HRPS) says the alleged fraudulent email began circulating around the region this past week and revealed passwords connected to recipients that likely were obtained from a legitimate business.
Investigators say they’ve received more than 30 complaints about the same e-mail which reveals a current or previous password belonging to the potential victim and demands a bitcoin payment using threats of posting an explicit video of the complainant.
Halton’s regional fraud unit confirmed the emails are a phishing scam and are recommending anyone who receives one to ignore and delete it.
“We noticed an influx of these complaints this week and decided to do some messaging,” said Cst. Ryan Anderson, “It’s not a particularly new scam if you go the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website, it’s listed on there and labelled ‘Explicit Video’ scam.
Anderson says to date, they are not aware of anyone having fallen victim to the scam.
“There’s no reason to believe this is originating in Halton.
“It’s a scam that takes place across the world.”
Anyone who has concerns or may have paid out to bitcoin scheme can contact the fraud intake office at 905-465-8741.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website says phishing campaigns can put a recipient at further risk, as some are designed to get victims to click on links or attachments which could also install malicious software.
The centre says unusual looking e-mails that have format and spelling errors from someone you don’t know is likely a phishing attempt.
They suggest checking an embedded hyperlink in a suspicious email by hovering a mouse over the link to verify the address.