(WHTM) — Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry is warning Pennsylvanians of sextortion cyber fraud incidents that are growing throughout the state.

A release from the Attorney General warns residents that if they received an email with an image of their home or street with an alarming message, they may have been targeted by a trending cybercrime involving criminals threatening to post explicit images or videos of their target.

The cyber fraud, referred to as sextortion, involves a demand from the criminal for the target to pay to not have the alleged explicit materials publicized. The fraud can also involve blackmail over a target’s browsing history, per the release.

The release says the criminals likely do not have any of the materials they claim to have.

Photos of a target’s home or street can easily be obtained via Google Maps. While most criminals are lying about having personal, explicit materials, it is possible they may not be. It is important to be vigilant about what you share on social media, by text message, or by email, as criminals can use that information to threaten targets.

Cybercriminals often coerce a potential victim to pay through a cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, and provide a QR code or link to the criminal’s Bitcoin account to transfer the money. The release urges anyone who receives this or a similar threat to NOT scan the code and DO NOT communicate with the cyber-criminal.

The release provides some tips on how to keep yourself safe from sextortion scams:

• When speaking to someone online, search their name to see if it’s been reported to have been used in a prior crime or if it’s the name of a famous person.
• Never send compromising or explicit images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are – or who they say they are.
• Search the internet for one or two sentences from the email to confirm it is actually spam.
• No matter what the email threatens, do not respond and delete the email.
• Do not open attachments or click links in emails from people you do not know. Doing so leaves you vulnerable to identity theft and malware.
• Never send money or buy a gift card, or do anything to comply with the demands in the email.
• Do a security check on your computer and install security software.
• Enable two-factor authentication on your important accounts.
• Change passwords often, and consider getting a password manager to ensure your passwords are strong and unique.
• Cover your webcam when not in use to give you peace of mind.
• Check to see if your email was compromised in a security breach and change passwords as necessary.
• Never answer your phone unless you recognize the number. If it is a legitimate call, the person will leave a voicemail.

If you or someone you know believes they are a victim of phishing, sextortion, or financially motivated sextortion, please report the activity to law enforcement immediately. You can report cyber crimes to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or by visiting ic3.gov.

You may also submit a complaint to the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection online, by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov, or by calling the office at 1-800-441-2555.