New York State Police warning of nationwide sextortion scams

The New York State Police are warning of a nationwide, automated sextortion scam.

This is when scammers use people’s email address to coerce payments using intimidation and threats of embarrassment.

The scammers gain access to this personal information using the dark web, said State Police.

Police say in order for the victim to act quickly, the scammer will claim they have images of the victim viewing pornographic material and they will threaten to disclose it to everyone in their contact list unless they pay to have it deleted.

Police emphasize that despite these claims, the scammer does not have access to the victim’s device or personal information.

State Police say if you receive one of these emails, do not engage or share any personal or financial information, block the sender, delete the email, and report it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.