GREENSBORO, N.C. — It all starts with an email. It has your name and address, and then it gets creepy with a street-view image of where you live. The text of the email may claim the person on the other end has all this info and more on you and they threaten to use it or expose you in some way unless you pay them. It's called a blackmail email.
At first glance, you might think this person knows something, but all the information mentioned above is public. Of course, the scammer doesn't want you to pick up on that.
"None of these blackmail scams are legitimate. If they had something on you they would give you a screengrab of a shot from inside your house or some detail about yourself and your life that's not just publicly available," said Dan Ackerman, Editor-In-Chief, of Micro Center News.
The email usually includes an urgent deadline. Don't get caught up in the info that you miss the awkward wording or generic language.
If you get a blackmail email experts say just do not respond, do not pay scammers any money, and report the email to your email provider as spam or phishing.
I have to tell you, you will have a lot of company if you make a complaint. The FBI says it received more than 880,000 complaints last year alone, which is up 10% from 2022.
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