Police in the region are warning of an automated sex extortion scam that is targeting residents through emails.

Undersheriff Eric Chaboy of the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office said that scammers are acquiring emails and personal information on the so-called "Dark Web" and feeding it into what appears to be an artificial intelligence (AI) program that automatically contacts potential victims.

According to Chaboty, the program claims in an email that the victim has been looking at pornography on their computer and threatens to embarrass the victim publically if they do not send a ransom payment via a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.

The AI program sends a photo of the victim's residence, which comes from a public street view mapping system or something similar. If the program can find pictures of the victim on the internet, it will send copies as well, claiming to have the victim under surveillance, Chaboty said.

"If you get any emails like this, we recommend that you ignore them completely and don't reply," said Chaboty. "If the emails persist, you should take steps to block them. Never give out personal information like your Social Security number, date of birth, or financial information."

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