The rise of untraceable cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, may be causing an uptick in online scams throughout California — and some of these scammers’ current victims are Santa Barbara residents.
Picture this: You receive a text message from an unknown phone number with an image of your own home attached. You respond, worried that this stranger now knows where you live. And to your horror, they tell you they’ve hacked your phone, accessing your videos, photos, and search history. Then, the mystery hacker tells you they’re going to send all of your most personal content to your contacts, possibly damaging friendships or social connections.
But they offer you a solution.