Portland Police Bureau Issues Warning Amid Spike in Email Blackmail Scams

The Portland Police Bureau has issued a warning about a cyber scam, which is not new but has seen a spike in reports, involves scammers sending emails containing the victim's personal information, such as name, address, and phone number, along with an attachment that may have even more personal data and sometimes a Google Maps Street View image of what they suppose is the victim's home.

More specific tricks of the scam include:

• The threat claims to be in possession of sensitive personal details, which may include internet history or allegedly humiliating photos and videos and demands payment via cryptocurrency to keep this information private.
• A false one-day deadline is created, pressuring people into acting quickly and without thinking.

The Portland Police Bureau said that while the initial email is meant to scare you, these scams usually don't go beyond the first message. The scammers usually don't have any real compromising information.

In response to these fraudulent activities, the Portland Police Bureau advises the public not to engage with these threatening emails and details on its website: "Attachments should NOT be opened from unknown senders (and even known senders unless they’re expected)".

The best practice is to avoid any interaction - avoid opening attachments, don't reply, and instead simply delete the unwanted emails.

source: X - Portland Police Bureau’s warning