On Thursday last week, Crossville Police units were dispatched to the Justice Center for a report of possible harassment.

Officer Ethan Cunningham made contact with a woman who said she had gotten an email that threatened to release her past history to others she knew if she did not send $1,950 to a Bitcoin address.

Currently, the victim hasn’t sent any money or response and no bank account has been breached or any further threats have been made. The victim stated she would like a report done in case something else happens in the future.

An extortion or blackmail scam is when an online attacker acts as though they have harmful information about you, threatening to make it public unless they are paid. Bitcoin and gift cards are often the preferred method of payment for scams as they cannot be traced to the scammer.