The Valley’s Diana Vanyo is warning the public about an email scam that she believes is extortion.
The scam is the latest in a series that have plagued the region, and the province, recently.
Vanyo said she received an email on March 19 that informed her that her computer has been monitored and the emailer had placed a virus on a porn site that is connected to her computer’s front camera.
She said the email informed her that once she clicked on it, a recording was made that shows her involved in a sexual act.
The emailer, who claims to be from Romania, said all the contact information for Vanyo’s friends and family had also been downloaded from her computer and that if 290 Euros in cryptocurrency was not sent to a given address within 27 hours, the sex video would be sent to all her contacts.
“As soon as I see the transfer, I will erase all the data,” the emailer concludes.
“This goes well beyond a scam and is really extortion,” Vanyo said.
“I think people should know about this.”
Staff Sergeant Annie Linteau, from the RCMP’s “E” division community services, said there are a number of email and phone scams currently taking place in B.C. and people should not respond to them.
“If you receive a strange email like this, don’t click onto any of the links provided and delete it from your inbox,” she said.
“You should never provide information or agree to the demands being made.”
With tax time coming, there have also been reports of people in the Valley receiving bogus calls from someone claiming to be a representative of the Canada Revenue Agency.
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The typical scenario is that the person claims that the CRA has determined that people owe a significant amount of money in back taxes and they could face serious repercussions, including jail time, if they don’t pay immediately.
The scammers also sometimes demand that payment be made in bitcoin, gift cards or some other alternate currency.
Linteau said those contacted should find out through legitimate sources whether the caller’s claims are valid.
She said people looking for more information about questionable emails or phone calls should visit the Canada Fraud Centre’s website.