A warning has been issued by Police Scotland after an email sextortion scam has targeted a large number of people across the country.
The con has demanded cash from users in order to not publish apparent videos of them watching pornography online.
Police have received 96 complaints from people who received emails from the scammers claiming to have compromising footage.
Payment has been requested from the fraudsters via Bitcoin, blackmailing Scots by threatening an imminent publishing of the content if the demand is not met.
On Thursday 9th April, 16 reports were made to Police Scotland overnight.
Detective Inspector Michael McCullagh, of cybercrime investigations, said: "These type of scams aren't unusual however this particular suspect or group has used a similar method and wording in every email and in greater numbers than we normally see.
"The emails show current or legacy passwords belonging to the victim, making the threat seem credible.
"This is a tactic used by criminals to alarm potential victims.
"Awareness is crucial to avoid becoming a victim to this type of crime and I would encourage people to recognise this.
"Don't make any payment, don't reply to the email and take measures to enhance your security such as changing your passwords."
Further details on this type of crime and how to protect yourself can be found here.
