CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police warned everyone about a scam aimed at airing out a lover's dirty laundry.
The message is being delivered to mailboxes. In the letter, the scammer writes, "I'm going to cut to the chase. My name is Rednews85 and I know about the secret you're keeping from your wife and everyone else."
"They're preying on people that are willing to go to extreme lengths to really keep this secret hidden?" asked NBC Charlotte's Xavier Walton.
"That's exactly right," answered Jonathan Frisk, a CMPD crime prevention specialist.
NBC Charlotte obtained a copy of the letter. Not only do the scammers claim to have knowledge of wrong-doing, but also the "evidence" to back it up.
The scammer gives the target two options. The first, ignore the letter and risk the significant other finding out the secret. The second, pay a "confidentially fee" -- more than $15,000 dollars.
"If you think about it, let's say they send out 10,000 of these everyday, and they just get two people that fall for it, and they do get the full amount. That's over $30,000 that they made to do nothing but send these letters out," said Frisk.
"A cheating scam, calling out the relationship between you and your wife, putting that in question, in paper...is this something you guys see often?" asked Walton.
"Yeah," said Frisk. "I mean it happens a lot."
NBC Charlotte broke down the alarming letter with police. Officer Frisk pointed out an instant red flag.
"A lot of time if there's currency going to another country that's a blackmail scam," said Frisk.
In this case, the culprits asked for $15,400 to be sent anonymously via Bitcoin within seven days. That's something police highly discourage.