SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Secaucus Police Department is alerting residents to a sextortion scam that uses images of victims’ homes to heighten fear and intimidation. The scam, reported this week by a local resident, involves emails that address the recipient by name and include photos of their street or front yard, likely obtained from online mapping services such as Google Maps.
The email claims to be from a hacker who has compromised the recipient’s computer and captured webcam footage of them engaging in private activity. The scammer demands nearly $2,000 in Bitcoin, threatening to release the alleged footage to the recipient’s contacts if payment is not made within 24 hours. To make the threat more convincing, the message includes a photo of the target’s home along with personal details like their name and address.
“This is a very common spam campaign, and there is no truth behind the email or its threats,” the Secaucus Police Department stated. Authorities emphasized that if hackers actually had compromising videos, they would likely include proof in their messages.
Police believe the scammers are accessing personal information through large data breaches, where millions of users’ data—including names, phone numbers, and addresses—are sold on the dark web.
Screenshots of the scam email have been shared by the police to help residents recognize and avoid falling victim to this type of fraud.
