The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO) is warning residents of a blackmail scam involving the digital currency known as Bitcoin.
SDSO said that scammers are mailing letters to potential victims that threatens to release humiliating information about the individual if they don’t pay the scammers using the crypto-currency Bitcoin.
The scammer then tells the individual how to buy Bitcoin and a “bitcoin wallet” that makes the currency harder to trace when sending, SDSO said.
The department warned San Diegans Friday that the letter is a scam. Those that receive a letter should not respond or send any money.
Anyone who believes they have received a Bitcoin blackmail letter should alert the United States Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455 or file a complaint online. Complaints can also be sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime unit at ic3.gov.
