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The Santa Barbara Police Department has been alerted to an online scam targeting residents of Santa Barbara. The scam starts with the perpetrator sending a photo of the target’s house, implying that they know the person’s address. This can be easily done using online public record apps. The scam progresses with the scammer claiming to have installed malware on the victim’s phone, giving them access to contacts and the phone’s video recording function. The scammer then threatens to release embarrassing videos, along with the victim’s search history, to all the contacts in the phone unless they receive payment via Bitcoin. There is an associated QR code that is typically sent within the text, and it should not be downloaded. It’s important to note that the language used in all of these scams is the same, and this scam has been reported all over California. Santa Barbara residents are encouraged to report this scam online through sbpd.com.