Scammers apparently are going digital in three cities across north Fulton County.
But police are somewhat puzzled by the threats to make people pay in bitcoin, Channel 2 Action News reported.
In a recent 911 call to Alpharetta police, a would-be victim said:
“In the email, it said, ‘I have your password, I know who you are, and I want you to pay me $8,600 in bitcoin or I’m going to publish a bunch of stuff on pornographic websites about you and send it to your family and friends.’”
“In these cases,” Johns Creek police Capt. Chris Byers said, “the perpetrators reach out to the victims and make several different claims."
In another case, a scammer threatened to release a man’s secrets to his family unless he paid up.
"Our belief is that in most of these cases they're just taking a shot in the dark,” Byers said, “playing the odds and finally reaching someone that may have something to hide."
Bitcoin is a global, digital currency with no central bank or chief administrator. Threats also have been reported in Roswell, according to Channel 2.
Police are puzzled by the digital scammers, though.
"This is one of those type things that if the transaction occurs it's very traceable,” Byers said.
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