Police in Needham are trying to sooth the nerves of residents getting e-mail from somebody who claims to have installed spyware on their phones or computers with which to track their activity on porn sites and who says they will release the information to family and friends unless the residents pay $2,000 in Bitcoin immediately.
The basic message is not new - they've been going around for years now - but what's different is that they can include the recipient's actual address and a Google Street View of it as proof of their access to your innermost browsing habits.
"Rest assured, they do not," Needham Police say, adding you should just delete the messages.
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Comments
Phishing
By cinnamngrl
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 2:27pm
Actually I have received several of these emails at work. I thought it was pretty comical.
Don't they know pron isn't
By Don't Panic
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 2:36pm
Don't they know pron isn't illegal yet in the US?
Are they phishing preachers?
My kid got one of those (not
By Charles E Olson
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 2:55pm
My kid got one of those (not in Needham), misaddressed to another family member. I knew about the scam, but the big tipoff was that they claimed to have showed up and taken a photo of their house... but the photo was of the wrong side of the street (and was obviously from GSV).
Can I get a copy of my history if I pay?
By tachometer
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 3:52pm
There are some old favorites that I haven't been able to find again ;)
It's like when they tried to blackmail Sukarno and it completely backfired.
Word.
By Friartuck
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 5:08pm
And word.
I got something
By Ward8Mahatma
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 4:19pm
similar last month, but with this wrinkle: the email said they had hijacked my laptop’s cam and had footage of me pleasuring myself while perusing said porn
thats the basic one
By cinnamngrl
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 4:37pm
My work computer did not have a camera at the time. I think they just spam out millions thinking that some of the people receiving the email would believe it and send the money.
Go ahead...release it
By Kaz
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 4:56pm
Jokes on them...that's my kink.
yesplease
By Angry Dan
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 5:35pm
please sned 2thosand doolar bitcoin pr0n to my inerweb mailbx
pleasethaqnkyou
I got one of these years ago
By downtown-anon
Mon, 09/09/2024 - 7:26pm
I looked up the bitcoin id (I'm not a BC person and I don't remember the details). Anyway, there was a website that tracked complaints about the emails based on the bitcoin id. There were like 3 for the id I received. Suppose there will never be much interest in tracking these people down as it is pretty low on the scale of scams.
Why isn't bitcoin illegal?
By necturus
Tue, 09/10/2024 - 8:57am
It has no legitimate purpose. There are only two reasons bitcoin exists:
1) To facilitate financial transactions you don't want government to know about, such as money laundering, tax evasion, and funding terrorism; and
2) for speculators to take advantage of people who think investing in something that isn't even worth the paper it isn't printed on is a great opportunity.
Bitcoin should be banned. That it hasn't only reflects the degree to which corruption has seeped into our legislatures.
Not worth my time today
By cybah
Tue, 09/10/2024 - 9:30am
Not worth my time today
Your friend is a speculator
By necturus
Tue, 09/10/2024 - 9:58am
Every dollar he made was a dollar someone else lost.
He created not a penny of new wealth.
Спекулянт, спекулянт спекулирует,
А народная власть реквизирует!
Not worth my time today
By cybah
Tue, 09/10/2024 - 10:12am
Not worth my time today
And?
By lbb
Tue, 09/10/2024 - 10:33am
You know that with investments too. That's why it's called speculation.
If you stole 24.8 million you too could be living your best life.
If you won the lottery you too could be living your best life.
Why aren't you?
Not worth my time today
By cybah
Tue, 09/10/2024 - 10:39am
Not worth my time today
Oh
By lbb
Tue, 09/10/2024 - 12:47pm
So you're dirty deleting. That's fine. Just admit it.
Not worth his time ...
By perruptor
Wed, 09/11/2024 - 9:08am
to defend his questionable assertions. It is worth his time to delete them, so I guess later he can deny making them.
wut?
By cinnamngrl
Wed, 09/11/2024 - 10:07am
Bitcoin is like the lottery or mlm. you can make or lose a lot. It is not illegal.
Yes, but...
By lbb
Wed, 09/11/2024 - 2:41pm
I don't think anyone said it was?
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