Bitcoin Blackmail Scams on the Rise

Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning the public about Bitcoin blackmail, also referred to as sextortion emails, from scammers trying to blackmail recipients into giving them money. Bitcoin blackmail emails typically include threats to reveal images and videos of the victim watching or utilizing pornography, copies of their browser history or evidence that they downloaded videos from pornographic sites. The increase in this type of scam is believed to be due to scammers getting access to legitimate usernames and passwords that were exposed during major security breaches.

How the scam works:

The scammer will contact people whether or not they visited pornographic sites and claim they have hacked their computer and activated their webcam. They will share that they have been able to access all the porn sites the victim has visited. The scammer then threatens to send embarrassing images, videos and screenshots to stolen contacts, family, friends and co-workers if a…