🔺 Police are warning of a new crypto extortion scam

🔺 Scammers threaten to reveal you browser history

🔺 Con artists are using public information to seem legit

Scary emails have been hitting the inboxes of some New Jersey residents threatening to reveal your browser history if you don't pay a ransom.

In a Facebook post over the weekend, Princeton police say the scammers are demanding a large payment in crypto currency.

"The scammer demands money in order to keep their internet search history from being shared with their phone contact list," police say.

Police are advising people not to click on the email if they get it, and to immediately report the scam.

How this scam works

Bad actors are getting increasingly creative with the methods they use to scare and intimidate people into giving them money.

In this case, police say, "These scams use information that is publicly available online."

Some of the emails going out recently will include an image of the victim's house. These are often obtained using Google Street View.

Police are urging individuals not to fall for this scam.

"Scammers often use fear, intimidation, and urgency to dupe people into sending money or handing over personal information," warn police.

Investigators did not say how many victims reported this scam to them or if anyone had actually sent the scammers money.

What to do if you paid a scammer

According to the Federal Trade Commission, you may have options to recover the money paid to a scammer. Although it is not always possible, here are the steps you can take.

Did you pay with a credit card or debit card?

Contact the company or bank that issued the credit card or debit card. Tell them it was a fraudulent charge. Ask them to reverse the transaction and give you your money back.

Did a scammer make an unauthorized transfer from your bank account?

Contact your bank and tell them it was an unauthorized debit or withdrawal. Ask them to reverse the transaction and give you your money back.

Did you pay with a gift card?

Contact the company that issued the gift card. Tell them it was used in a scam and ask them to refund your money. Keep the gift card itself, and the gift card receipt.

Did you send a wire transfer through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram?

Contact the wire transfer company. Tell them it was a fraudulent transfer. Ask them to reverse the wire transfer and give you your money back.

MoneyGram at 1-800-926-9400
Western Union at 1-800-448-1492
Ria (non-Walmart transfers) at 1-877-443-1399
Ria (Walmart2Walmart and Walmart2World transfers) at 1-855-355-2144

Did you send a wire transfer through your bank?

Contact your bank and report the fraudulent transfer. Ask them to reverse the wire transfer and give you your money back.

Did you send money through a money transfer app?

Report the fraudulent transaction to the company behind the money transfer app and ask them to reverse the payment. If you linked the app to a credit card or debit card, report the fraud to your credit card company or bank. Ask them to reverse the charge.

Did you pay with cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency payments typically are not reversible.

Once you pay with cryptocurrency, you can only get your money back if the person you paid sends it back. But contact the company you used to send the money and tell them it was a fraudulent transaction. Ask them to reverse the transaction, if possible.

Did you send cash?

If you sent cash by U.S. mail, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455 and ask them to intercept the package. To learn more about this process, visit USPS Package Intercept: The Basics.

If you used another delivery service, contact them as soon as possible.

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