Blackmail scam alert: NH residents targeted

CONCORD — Attorney General John M. Formella has issued an alert warning of a blackmail scam targeting New Hampshire residents, including the state’s older adult population.

The state attorney general’s office has received several reports from residents who have received similar e-mails from senders who are unfamiliar to them. The e-mail subject line contained the recipient’s name. The body of the e-mail contained the recipient’s name and home address. A similarly worded, threatening letter was attached to each e-mail. The letter contained the recipient’s name, telephone number, home address, and a picture of the recipient’s home. The letter claimed that a virus was placed on the recipient’s electronic device, allowing the sender to track the recipient’s browsing history, e-mails, and social media accounts.

The letter warns that the sender has extracted embarrassing information about the recipient. The sender threatens that the embarrassing information will be sent to the recipient’s e-mail and/or telephone contacts unless the recipient pays a “privacy fee” using cryptocurrency. The letter lists the amount of the “privacy fee” and cryptocurrency account information for deposit. 

An e-mail containing this type of letter as an attachment is known as a “blackmail scam.” Residents should understand that the senders of these e-mails have not actually been to the recipient’s home. They have obtained personal identifying information from publicly available sources and included photos of the recipient’s home obtained online in the letter. Further, the sender has not gained access to the recipient’s electronic device. Instead, the sender threatens the recipient to create a sense of fear and urgency so that the recipient will pay money.     

The Attorney General urges New Hampshire residents to be vigilant. Do not reply to or open any attachments in electronic messages from senders with whom you are unfamiliar. Anyone who opens one of these letters attached to an e-mail should take the following steps:

• Do not panic.
• Do not send money, including cryptocurrency, in response to the letter.
• Contact your local police department, especially if you have lost money.
• If you are concerned about whether your computer or other device has been compromised, contact a reputable computer company you can verify to inspect your device.
• Report the scam to the Office of the Attorney General – Consumer Protection Hotline:

1-888-468-4454E-mail: Doj-CPB@doj.nh.govwww.doj.nh.gov/consumer/complaints

Anyone with knowledge that a vulnerable adult has been scammed or financially exploited should also contact the New Hampshire Bureau of Adult and Aging Services, at 1-800-949-0470.