Police are investigating a vicious scam to blackmail people into buying Bitcoins – by threatening to falsely expose them as PAEDOPHILES.
A chilling letter has been hand-delivered to at least a dozen homes, demanding the recipient buys two Bitcoins and deposits them into an account within 72 hours.
If the homeowner fails to do so, the blackmailers threaten to tell the neighbourhood about their “love for young boys”.
The vicious letter states: “We will spread this rumour at your local school which will result in you, your family and your home becoming the target of attacks and vandalism.
“Whether the rumours are true or not does not matter in the slightest. You know what people will think once we put the idea inside their heads? No smoke without fire.
“Previous targets of ours have been forced to pack up and move.
“The ONLY way to prevent this from happening is to pay us the sum of 2 Bitcoins.
“If you tell anyone else about this letter or its contents, for example the police, we will go ahead with the action and your family will go through hell.”
At current market value, two Bitcoins equals around £781.
The letter signs off with the Bitcoin account number, adding: “The clock is ticking. You have 72 hours.”
Thames Valley Police are investigating after 11 victims from Buckinghamshire came forward, and are urging recipients to not touch the letter and phone cops immediately.
Detective Sergeant Peter Wall said: “Do not be alarmed if you receive a letter like this.
“Our advice is to try not to touch the letter too much so that it can be preserved for forensic examination and then call 101.
“Do not respond to the letter or purchase any of the Bitcoins.
“Some people may simply discard letters like this when they receive them but for others it can be very distressing.
“This is a clear attempt at blackmail and we need to gather all the information we can to aid our investigation and trace the offenders behind these nasty letters.”
