Law enforcement agencies in three US states have called on citizens to be vigilant, reporting an increase in the activity of crypto scammers who use phishing tactics and blackmail to extort bitcoins.

Police in Maryland, Nevada, and California have announced the discovery of cases of mass email distribution of phishing letters and fake threats. According to law enforcement agencies, the scammers are blackmailing potential victims, demanding a ransom in BTC for refusing to publish various sensitive information in the media.

For example, scammers send victims emails with photos of their homes from Google Maps and demand payment in Bitcoin, claiming that they have access to personal data and compromising information such as addresses, phone numbers, internet browsing history, and the like.

Police advised people to ignore threatening emails, not click on suspicious links, and report incidents to law enforcement.

Earlier, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the discovery of instances of mass mailings of offers of services from fake law firms that promised crypto investors the return of digital assets lost due to the actions of fraudsters or government agencies.