Crime & Safety

Bitcoin Scammer Targets Radnor Resident In Extortion Letter

This isn't the first digital currency scam to hit the Main Line, as Easttown and Radnor police have both dealt with similar cases recently.

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA – Radnor Police are warning residents of a scam involving the digital currency Bitcoin and said they are investigating the extortion scam.

Police said a Radnor resident was targeted by scammer looking to extort $8,200 from them recently and shared the letter that the resident received.

The letter was postmarked from Nashville, Tennessee and claims to have information on "misadventures" of the victim and threatens to release that info to the victim's wife.

Find out what's happening in Radnorfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The letter does not specify the details of the "misadventures" but goes on to say if the victim contacts police the purported sensitive information on them will be released.

In the letter, the scammer calls the $8,200 a "confidentiality fee."

Find out what's happening in Radnorfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Then the letter includes full instructions how to pay in Bitcoin so the scammer and victim never have to meet and to prevent any potential tracking of the scammer.

You can see the full letter online here to help keep yourself safe and informed.

"These letters are common scams where people threaten extortion in exchange for Bitcoin," Radnor police said Monday. "Residents are reminded to never respond or send money to these letters or emails."

Police said anyone who gets similar letters are urged to contact Radnor Detectives at (610) 688-0503 or at detectives@radnor.org.

Back in December 2017, Radnor and Easttown police alerted the public to digital currency scams.

In Radnor, a resident got a death threat letter that said if the victim did not pay up in Bitcoin they would kill the victim. That threat was sent via email.

And in Easttown, a letter received by a resident claimed the same bogus story of having "dirt" on the victim that Radnor police are now warning of. In that instance, the scammer demanded $2,500 in Bitcoin to keep quiet about the "secret."

Image via Shutterstock

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.