(ST. JOHN’S, NL), May 28, 2020 – The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is advising the community of cyber crime which has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There has been an increase in reports of online extortion scams during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because more people are staying at home and likely using the computer more than usual, scammers may use this opportunity to find new victims and pressure them into sending money. The currency of choice is most often virtual currency such as Bitcoin. The most common scam in RNC jurisdiction, as well as nationally and internationally, involves scammers sending e-mails threatening to release sexually explicit photos or personally compromising videos to the victim’s contacts if they do not pay a certain amount of Bitcoin. While there are many variations of these online extortion attempts, they often share similar indicators.

Online extortion content varies, but there are a many common indicators of the scam. The following characteristics are not all-inclusive, but should serve as red flags. It is important to remember that scammers adapt their scams to capitalize on current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, high-profile data breaches, or new trends involving the Internet, all in an attempt to give their scams seem more authenticity:

 

• The online extortion attempt comes as an e-mail from an unknown party and, many times, will be written in broken English with grammatical errors;

 

• The recipient’s personal information is noted in the e-mail or letter to add a higher degree of intimidation to the scam. For example, the recipient’s user name or password is provided at the beginning of the e-mail or letter;

 

• The recipient is accused of visiting adult websites, cheating on a spouse, or being involved in other compromising situations;

 

• The e-mail or letter includes a statement like, “I had a serious spyware and adware infect your computer,” or “I have a recorded video of you” as an explanation of how the information was allegedly gathered;

 

• The e-mail or letter threatens to send a video or other compromising information to family, friends, coworkers, or social network contacts if a ransom is not paid;

 

• The e-mail or letter provides a short window to pay, typically 48 hours;

 

• The recipient is instructed to pay the ransom in Bitcoin, a virtual currency that provides a high degree of anonymity to the transactions.

 

Tips To Protect Yourself:

 

• Do not open e-mails or attachments from unknown individuals;

 

• Monitor your bank account statements regularly, and your credit report at least once a year for any unusual activity;

 

• Do not communicate with unsolicited e-mail senders;

 

• Do not store sensitive or embarrassing photos or information online or on your mobile devices;

 

• Use strong passwords and do not use the same password for multiple websites;

 

• Never provide personal information of any sort via e-mail. Be aware that many e-mails requesting your personal information appear to be legitimate;

 

• Ensure security settings for social media accounts are activated and set at the highest level of protection;

 

• Verify the web address of legitimate websites and manually type the address into your browser.

 

Victim Reporting:

 

• Contact the RNC and provide a statement about the scam, and bring or forward copies of any emails or documents that contain information about the scammer;

 

• Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and submit a report outlining the details of the scam ( https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca);

 

• Check to see if your email has been compromised in a data breach using the website https://haveibeenpwned.com.

 

If you have any further inquiries, you can reach out to our investigators through contactrnc@rnc.gov.nl.ca

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Cst. James C. Cadigan, #775

Media Relations Officer

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

Media@rnc.gov.nl.ca

(709) 729-8658