91原创 is not immune to a wave of extortion scams that have been spreading across the Lower Mainland, and local Mounties are warning residents not to fall for the con.
Up to Sept. 24, the 91原创 RCMP had already received a dozen similar reports just this month, said Cpl. Zynal Sharoom.
The scams involve an email to the victim, claiming to have compromising photographs and personal data of the victims.
They then direct the victims to send money to a Bitcoin wallet, or risk having their photos and data shared with friends and family.
"There have been numerous incidents where the suspects provide a photograph of the victim鈥檚 house obtained from open internet sources as proof that they possess personal details of the victims," said Sharoom.
In all the incidents reported to the 91原创 RCMP, the victims did not comply, Sharoom said.
People should recognize the scam and report it to the police immediately, he said.
The scams appear to be hitting people all across Metro Vancouver. Surrey RCMP recently reported that they had in just three days.
Some of the Surrey scams included social insurance numbers or other identifying details of the victim, but Surrey RCMP's Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha noted that the information all appears to come from old, previous data breaches.
"Please know the computer has not been hacked," Sangha said.
Sharoom offered some tips for avoiding scams online:
鈥� Be extremely cautious if you receive unsolicited communication over email, by phone, pop-up ads, videos on the internet, or direct messages on social media.
鈥� Never give out your personal information.
鈥� Do not open email, files, or links from people you do not know and trust.
鈥� Always verify that the organization you鈥檙e dealing with is legitimate before you take any action.
鈥� Find more information on the .
