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London police are warning the public about an email scam that’s been reported here and across Canada.
The scam involves a person receiving an email that includes their name, phone number, address and potentially even a photo of the individual’s address, London police said on Wednesday.
The email advises the recipient that they’ve had their internet browsing activity tracked and that malware has been installed on their computer or devices, police said.
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The email’s sender then threatens the recipient that their online activity and alleged videos or photos will be shared with all their contacts if the scammer doesn’t receive payment in bitcoin, a type of digital currency, police said.
“It’s important to note that the email is a scam and the victim’s device has not been compromised in any way,” police said in a statement.
London police said the personal information in the email could be either from a previous data breach, and the images of the recipient’s home could have been taken from Google Maps.
Officers from the London police financial crime unit are alerting the public of the scam and asking citizens to refrain from paying any money at all.
“No matter how believable the email seems, the scammers do not have any compromising videos or images,” police said.
Police also said changing account passwords and enabling multifactor authentication on accounts are additional steps to keep people safe from future scams.
Anyone with information about the scam is asked to call London police at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
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