Sextortion Email Scam Targets Bucks Countians

Have you received an email with a picture of your house and a threatening message recently? You could be the target of a sextortion scam.

Since last summer, several readers of this news organization have reported receiving similar emails.

On Thursday, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office issued a warning on the scam.

The emails often include a Google Maps image of the recipient’s home, their phone number, and address, along with claims that the sender has captured compromising photos and videos from the user’s device camera while visiting adult content websites. The emails demand payment in Bitcoin to a specific cryptocurrency wallet address to prevent the release of the alleged material.

One email told the recipient they have a “beautiful neighborhood.”

A copy of an email received by a local resident.

Authorities are urging residents not to panic if they get the email and remember that the emails are fraudulent.

Mike Bannon, director of the Bucks County Consumer Protection and Weights and Measures, confirmed his office is aware of the scam.

“This is commonly known as a ‘sextortion scam,'” Bannon said. “They have been around for quite some time, and unfortunately, this crime is underreported and a successful one for scam artists.”

Bannon explained that the inclusion of personal details, like a picture of the victim’s home, is designed to make the threat seem credible. He warned against responding to the emails or sending any money.

“If you do respond and send Bitcoin as they are requesting, I have no doubt they will just follow up with another yet different scam to attempt to victimize the victim once again,” he said.

Sextortion scams, including romance scams, were reported more than 48,000 times in 2023, according to the FBI.

Authorities believe the scammers obtain personal data by purchasing information on the dark web, which may be compromised data from breaches, public records, and other scams.

The Bucks County Crimes Against Older Adults Task Force advises residents to mark the scam emails as spam or junk, delete them, and report them to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Victims of the scam are encouraged to report it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office offers tips to avoid sextortion scams:

When speaking to someone online, search their name to see if it’s been reported to have been used in a prior crime or if it’s the name of a famous person.
Never send compromising or explicit images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are – or who they say they are.
Search the internet for one or two sentences from the email to confirm it is actually spam.
No matter what the email threatens, do not respond and delete the email.
Do not open attachments or click links in emails from people you do not know. Doing so leaves you vulnerable to identity theft and malware.
Never send money or buy a gift card, or do anything to comply with the demands in the email.
Do a security check on your computer and install security software.
Enable two-factor authentication on your important accounts.
Change passwords often, and consider getting a password manager to ensure your passwords are strong and unique.
Cover your webcam when not in use to give you peace of mind.
Check to see if your email was compromised in a security breach and change passwords as necessary.
Never answer your phone unless you recognize the number. If it is a legitimate call, the person will leave a voicemail.