The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office has received several complaints in the last week from citizens who have received an e-mail from a subject claiming to have installed malware on their cellular devices capable of capturing images of them and listening to them through their device.

Scammers also claim to have recorded them visiting adult websites and demand payment in the form of bitcoin to stop the video from being released to the victims friends/family.

A photograph of the victim’s house taken from Google Earth is attached to the letter to make it seem more legitimate.

This is a scam… Do not make any payment.

While the Sheriff’s Office is investigating these incidents, they are believed to be originating from overseas. If you receive this email please forward it to sheriff@allegancounty.org.