Wakefield Police Issue Warning About Scam

WAKEFIELD, MA — Police are warning residents about a type of scam that has been circulating where the scammer tells the target that they have hacked into their computer's camera.

The Wakefield Police Department posted the following on Facebook:

Recently the Wakefield Police Department as well as surrounding Police Departments have received numerous scam reports involving citizens receiving emails stating that someone has hacked into their computer and the camera of the computer.

The email states that they have compromising pictures of the victim as well as they have gathered information about the victim from their computer. The scammer will also attach a photo of the victim’s street or house which is gathered from open source media.

The scammer will then demand the victim send money by Bitcoin and provide Bitcoin Wallet information.

These are scams and no victim has reported any further problems when the email is ignored at this time.

If you ever feel any email, phone call, text, mail, or other type of message is a scam or fraud please contact the Wakefield Police at 781-245-1212. We will be glad to speak with you and help guide you in determining if the message you received is a scam.