MONTREAL -- Quebec City police have received complaints from people who say they’ve been victims of extortion after visiting pornographic sites.
The Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ) said people are being contacted through email in both English and French by blackmailers, who threaten to send videos of them watching porn to people they know.
The emails contain current or old passwords used by the victim, leading some to believe the threats are legitimate. The blackmailers are telling people they’ve hacked into their computers to film them through their webcams, and that if they don't want the videos shared, they have to send them a certain amount of money in bitcoins.
The SPVQ is asking people who’ve been the victim of this scam not to reply to the email, to delete it, and not to pay the amount requested. They’re also asking them to change their password immediately.
Anyone who has received these emails is asked to report the threats to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by phone at 1-888-495-8501 or online.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2020.
