Residents ​Targeted By Email, Bitcoin Scam In East Brunswick: Police

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - Several township residents have reported receiving suspicious emails from unknown people containing threatening messages, East Brunswick Police said.

The emails include the recipient's name, address, phone number, and a PDF attachment containing a generic "street view" photo of the person's residence.

The scammer then claims that a spyware application was remotely installed onto Windows, iOS, and Android devices, allowing them access, including all emails, contacts, and social media accounts, police said.

The scammers have threatened to release “embarrassing things” if the recipient does not pay them a specific amount of money in Bitcoin, police said.

“No matter the reason they give, never send money to someone you don’t know or have never met in person, who pressures you to pay immediately, or who says this is the only way to pay,” East Brunswick police said. “Only scammers ask you to do those things.”

Police has asked residents not to give personal information over the phone, via text, mail, or on the Internet unless residents have initiated the contact or they are sure who they are dealing with.

If residents receive a phone call, text message, or email from anyone making a request of this nature, you can call the East Brunswick Police Department directly at (732) 390-6900 to file a report.

Residents can use the police department’s Online Report System at https://www.eastbrunswick.org/onlinereporting.

Reports can also be filed with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), run by the FBI, the lead federal agency investigating cybercrime.

Visit ic3.gov to file a complaint with IC3 or learn about the latest and most harmful cyber threats and scams.

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