Email scam demanding bitcoin - fooling the weak.

[stadus]

And interesting topic here;

Randolph police warn of new email scam demanding bitcoin

RANDOLPH — Police are alerting the community about a new scam involving threatening emails that demand bitcoin payments after victims received messages containing their personal information and photos of their homes.

The Randolph Police Department reported an increase in complaints from residents who have received emails, mostly from gmail.com accounts, that use the victims’ full names and addresses.

The emails include images that appear to be taken from online mapping applications, such as Google Maps, depicting the street or front yard of the targeted individuals.

According to the authorities, the emails have a threatening tone and demand a bitcoin payment, typically in the amount of either $1,950 or $2,000.

Scammers have included a QR code for the intended payment and falsely claim that Pegasus malware has been installed on the victim’s computer.

Police emphasized that recipients of such emails should not respond.

The recommended action is to immediately move the email to the spam folder and then delete it to avoid further risk.

The department urges anyone who receives a similar email or has questions to contact the Randolph Police Department at 781-963-1212 for assistance and support in dealing with the scam.

The scam attempt seems so simple, yet there are still people who fall for it. It’s a threat, though we don’t always know what kind, but for those who aren’t familiar with the technology, seeing an email where the scammer knows their address and even has a picture could really scare them, not realizing it just came from Google Maps. That’s why people need to be more educated about these kinds of scams and the technology behind them to help minimize cases like this.

[adaseb]

Yeah that is pretty scary. Especially since they send a photo of your house and unless you recognise it was a Google streetview photo you are going to freak out and assume they live in your city and you might be in danger.

I heard the ones where they just email you and threaten but didnt think they would send along photos of your place of residence. The things scammers will do is crazy these days and downright scary.

Hopefully not too many people fall for these scams but I am sure some will because they wont want to put their family at risk.

[Maslate]

Hopefully not too many people fall for these scams but I am sure some will because they wont want to put their family at risk.

People will definitely be scared if they’re not aware of these kinds of scams. That’s why the police advise not to reply or just ignore it, because they’re not going to follow through, it’s just their scam. If you fall for it, then sorry, say goodbye to your money.

According to the report, they’re asking for a big amount, around $1,950 to $2,000... so even if 1,000 people fall for it, they’ll end up making millions from the scam.

[joniboini]

So they target people who put their details on their Google accounts and tag them on Google Maps? Damn, even if there's no blackmail attempts through e-mails I'd be worried for their safety. Sounds like these people don't have a good knowledge about privacy and security in the first place.

How did the scammers know the images are related to their target btw? Do people upload their location details publicly? A bad idea to put our real name and photo on Google. It's hard to make sure no personal details are leaked.

[EarnOnVictor]

-snip-
The scam attempt seems so simple, yet there are still people who fall for it. It’s a threat, though we don’t always know what kind, but for those who aren’t familiar with the technology, seeing an email where the scammer knows their address and even has a picture could really scare them, not realizing it just came from Google Maps. That’s why people need to be more educated about these kinds of scams and the technology behind them to help minimize cases like this.

Oh my God! Scams are increasingly rampant these days as technology is advancing especially in this era of cryptocurrency, they are getting more desperate and their deceit styles are advancing. I know enough of their schemes and there is no way I can become a victim because I don't associate with strangers' offers not to talk of the digital communications I am unfamiliar with, I just ignore or delete them immediately. But what scared me a little was the Google Map of a thing, I am sure that most people would fall for it especially if their revealed details are genuine. Thanks for the exposè, many should endeavour to educate themselves on this instead of always watching TikTok comedies.

[icalical]

This types of scams are really terrifying, especially to those who aren't that well-versed in technology. It creates the feeling of invasion through depicting personal information or images from Google Maps. But I think these scammers are just using publicly available information. It is not like they have hacked into our private life. Also, people tend to fall for this in the case of panic. While the scammers may include names and addresses in that mail, they actually do not have access to sensitive data but are trying to scare us into paying up.

[Plaguedeath]

This is why I never want to fill my home address or any other personal information if I already can use the service/tool only to fill certain important information. This is really scary because it can be happened to anyone and anywhere.

However, this can also happened if you're often use delivery to your home when you purchase something from online marketplace or you order foods from Uber. If I buy from online marketplace, I will use PO boxes and I stop buy foods online, instead I go out and buy it by myself.

[davis196]

This scam method is beyond stupid. Unfortunately, many people are falling for this stupid sh*t.
"Pay us 2K USD or we will visit your house and beat your ass!" I would laugh my ass off, if I get an email with such sentence.
The victim receives an email saying that his/her computer was infected with a "Pegasus malware"? If your computer really gets infected with a malware, you will most likely notice it immediately(if you have a good anti-virus), and there's no need to get reminded via an email.
What the hell is this Pegasus malware? Did some fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime create that malware?
The scammer is stupid enough to use Gmail addresses and demand BTC payments(Bitcoin transactions can be tracked). I'm also sure that the scammer doesn't use BTC mixers to hide the origin to all the BTC, that he received. Let's hope that the police will do it's job.

[jrrsparkles]

If I am not wrong there was time people used to recieve threatening messages seeking ransom because they acquired their personal information like private conversation, video, image and that is quite severe compared to this but the only recommended solution at that time was just ignore them because they are not going to do anything at all even if you haven't pay whatever they're demanding and that should be the one for this as well.

[Stepstowealth]

The scam attempt seems so simple, yet there are still people who fall for it. It’s a threat, though we don’t always know what kind, but for those who aren’t familiar with the technology, seeing an email where the scammer knows their address and even has a picture could really scare them, not realizing it just came from Google Maps. That’s why people need to be more educated about these kinds of scams and the technology behind them to help minimize cases like this.

If I have never used any mapping application as accurate as google maps, I will doubt that such a technology would exist. There are many people who doubt that such technology exists elsewhere aside from in movies so if they happened to be one of those who received such a threatening email, because of the suspense of how the image of their home was gotten they may be forced into believing that the scammer actually knows their homes. Exposure will save many people from these sort of scams, that is why it is necessary to stay informed, or at least have someone who is more informed than you are.

[NotATether]

Yeah that is pretty scary. Especially since they send a photo of your house and unless you recognise it was a Google streetview photo you are going to freak out and assume they live in your city and you might be in danger.

Not scary at all. If you don't owe money to anybody and nobody suspects that you have a large amount of crypto somewhere, then why would anybody be concerned enough to believe that some random who they've never even heard of will attack them just because they posted a picture of their street or house?

Their addresses must have been public already, but the scammers themselves have no reason to go there.

[freedomgo]

Good thing I don't check my email often, so I'm safe from this kind of scam. Just kidding.

Seriously though, this is a huge problem, and the blame really falls on the government. How can people, especially those with money who are clueless about crypto or these specific scams, protect themselves? We all grow older (that’s just reality), but we shouldn’t stop learning.

Nowadays, being old isn’t an excuse to stay out of touch with the latest technology trends. That’s the only way we can prevent ourselves from falling for these scams, and the government has a big role in educating everyone.

[ChiBitCTy]

I saw this in the news actually the other day.  The sad thing is, this will work and work really well.  I have tracked addresses over time that were linked to scams, and man it's sad how many people fall for them.

Now a lot of people fall for the whole "Here's your email address and password.  We've hacked your computer and if you don't send us .1 bitcoin to this addresses, we will leak videos of you watching porn that we have via your web-cam".  That can be scary for someone who doesn't know any better and doesn't keep a privacy shield over their pc camera, but I imagine someone getting a threatening email with not only their name but their actual home address/photo of their home..that sort of takes things to a whole new level. 

I still fondly remember my first ever scam attempt email, the infamous "Nigerian Prince" email scam.  I was a younger but remember thinking it was hilarious and a pathetic attempt.  Boy have we come a long ways.

[Coin_trader]

How did the scammers know the images are related to their target btw? Do people upload their location details publicly? A bad idea to put our real name and photo on Google. It's hard to make sure no personal details are leaked.

Worst part is this due to KYC leak of an online account such as exchange, casino and so on that includes all our personal information such as email, address and ID which is included on our account.

Searching via google map is very easy while sending the attached email on the account with KYC will do the trick to this scam attempt.

[SamReomo]

That’s why people need to be more educated about these kinds of scams and the technology behind them to help minimize cases like this.

No matter how much we try to educate such people, they'll still fall for scams time after time. The scammers know the psychology of the victims and that's how they get success in scamming those innocent people. But, what else can we do other than educating the people as it's not possible to track out each scammer and put those behind the bars.

Even if such actions are taken then still the scammers will find a new way to scam people either in physical world or in internet world. I believe the authorities should take strict actions against the scammers when they find any, so out of fear most scammers will think twice before trying to scam someone. But, I don't think that anything like that will happen and that's why awareness should still be given the highest priority.

[mamesso]

The scam attempt seems so simple, yet there are still people who fall for it. It’s a threat, though we don’t always know what kind, but for those who aren’t familiar with the technology, seeing an email where the scammer knows their address and even has a picture could really scare them, not realizing it just came from Google Maps. That’s why people need to be more educated about these kinds of scams and the technology behind them to help minimize cases like this.

People who are not familiar with technological developments will certainly be afraid when they receive threatening emails, especially when the fraudsters include pictures of the house and the complete address of their potential victims. Advice from the police is very helpful in minimizing cases like this, lay people will be calmer after advice from the police to immediately ignore the message.
There needs to be public service announcements distributed through social media, print media and other electronic media to educate the public so that they do not panic easily when facing a situation like this. Contacting the police department is also a smart move to get help and support.

[stadus]

How did the scammers know the images are related to their target btw? Do people upload their location details publicly? A bad idea to put our real name and photo on Google. It's hard to make sure no personal details are leaked.

Worst part is this due to KYC leak of an online account such as exchange, casino and so on that includes all our personal information such as email, address and ID which is included on our account.

Searching via google map is very easy while sending the attached email on the account with KYC will do the trick to this scam attempt.

I don’t think it’s coming from there. If I have an account on an exchange or casino, that means I’m already aware of crypto and the scams related to it, so I won’t fall for them easily. I believe the information source might be from outside the crypto world, maybe through social media platforms like Facebook, which many people use today.

[Zlantann]

The scam attempt seems so simple, yet there are still people who fall for it. It’s a threat, though we don’t always know what kind, but for those who aren’t familiar with the technology, seeing an email where the scammer knows their address and even has a picture could really scare them, not realizing it just came from Google Maps. That’s why people need to be more educated about these kinds of scams and the technology behind them to help minimize cases like this.

People suffering from anxiety disorder will cheaply fall for this scam. These sets of individuals are just scared of the unknown which might make them believe these scammers. I have a relative who just believes that she is being monitored by her former employer. We have done everything to convince her that this is not the case, but she wouldn't believe it. The elderly might also fall victim since most are not used to technology.   

This is why I never want to fill my home address or any other personal information if I already can use the service/tool only to fill certain important information. This is really scary because it can be happened to anyone and anywhere.

If you work in a government organisation in my country, your data can be easily obtained from the internet. This is because the recruitment, employment, and promotion process is always uploaded online. And this information usually comes with the personal information of these public servants. One just has to be careful and always vigilant.

[ImThour]

I mean just mark it as a spam and block, we all know there are thousands of scams like these and there is no point in making a blog post about all of these. Those who are using Bitcoin or Crypto to demand money through these scams are wasting their time, I am sure they can make more money by actually working somewhere than sitting on your PC and waiting for someone to get scammed.

[NotATether]

I mean just mark it as a spam and block, we all know there are thousands of scams like these and there is no point in making a blog post about all of these. Those who are using Bitcoin or Crypto to demand money through these scams are wasting their time, I am sure they can make more money by actually working somewhere than sitting on your PC and waiting for someone to get scammed.

Most of these people will not get more than one hit for their scam, while the vast majority never see a single victim for all of their phishing.

It's sort of like an exponential graph, where most scammers get nobody or just one, and only a select few are smart enough (or lucky enough) to ensnare thousands of people into the same trap at once. And more often or not end up being on some wanted list somewhere like the Twitter scammers of 2020.