Detectives in New Zealand have issued alerts over a ransom scam that demands Bitcoin payments under threat of the release of porn-viewing habits.
A recent report revealed that the email-based scam includes a ransom demand of NZ$1,900 [US$1,160] to be paid in Bitcoin.
Victims that do not pay up will have their porn-viewing proclivities leaked to the world.
The scam email adds that the target computer has been hacked, along with its webcam and any information on access to pornographic material has been logged.
A senior sergeant working on the case said that some victims have been so concerned that a video of themselves would be leaked that they have paid money to the crooks.
He added that scammers also claim to know the victim’s passwords, and in some cases list ones that have been previously used.
These may have been obtained through previously leaked online data breaches by large social media companies and public email providers.
Police have advised people to simply delete the email and do not pay any ransom demands. Frequently changing passwords is also a good security practice, as is using a VPN for encrypted internet access.
Bitcoin blackmail has been on the rise in recent years, but these types of scams are nothing new.