It’s just another good old blackmail/online extortion scheme that tries to scare you into ponying up your hard-earned cash to these cyber scammers. It’s pretty far-fetched but people are actually getting duped. New variations to this “sextortion” scam are constantly being added to make it more convincing. Your email addresses, old passwords, your name – but don’t be fooled! They’re just ways for these scammers to scare you into giving in to their demands. Now, it looks like they added another weapon in their sextortion arsenal. Don’t be their next victim. Read on and learn how to spot this scam from a mile away.
Now, they have phone numbers
A new twist in this popular sextortion email scam is starting to spread around. Now, it looks like aside from names, email addresses, and old passwords, the scammers have acquired a list of phone numbers associated with email addresses. So included with the message is a phone number, which the scammers think might be yours. Again, don’t be alarmed! It’s just another ploy to pressure you into paying up. According to the Naked Security, most of the phone numbers they have spotted so far have a North American format, with five digits crossed out (for example, +1-555-xxx-xx55). Other would-be victims are also reporting U.K.-style phone number formats with the last four digits crossed out. Based on their recent samples, Naked Security also revealed that amounts these blackmailers are demanding ranges from $100 to $1,000.
How come they have your name, old passwords and phone numbers?
So how did these scammers manage to get your information? Well, with the number of data breaches that are seemingly occurring every day, your email address, real name and even your old passwords are not that hard to acquire. These databases are typically available for sale on the Dark Web and even on public file sharing sites. Even if you do get a threatening email addressed to your name or with your old password and phone number attached, please don’t fall for it! Note: To check if your information has been compromised, visit Have I Been Pwned. You can also try these new browser extensions that can check your credentials if they were involved in a past abuse.
Can you tell that this is fake?
Different variations, same scam
The scam emails have varying content but they all share these common characteristics:
The subject line may have your real name, an old password you have used before or even your phone numberThe attackers claim that they placed malware on a porn site that you visitedWith that malware, they were able to access your webcam and record you while you’re on the porn websiteThe attackers will send the video to your friends unless you pay them a specific bitcoin amount
So another variation of the extortion email goes like this:
To: XXXXXSubject: I’m aware that
Don’t pay the ransom!
If you receive any threatening emails of this sort, please don’t give in by paying the bitcoin ransom! A quick web search reveals that this extortion scam is getting popular lately. There may be variations in the words and the ransom amount but the M.O. is still the same – they claim to have video proof of your porn website excursions and they will release the video if you don’t pay the bitcoin amount. In the words of Admiral Ackbar, “IT’S A TRAP!” In fact, webcam hacking is a real threat facing computer users every day. Believe me, you don’t want hackers taking over your webcam and watching your every move. That’s creepy! If you want to be completely confident that your computer is free from spying malware, make sure you have some sort of anti-malware or anti-virus protection in place and do a deep scan. There are free third-party anti-virus tools online that will aid you in checking and removing malware, spyware and virus infections. Malwarebytes, for instance, is a proven malware removal tool for both Macs and PCs. Windows 10 also has a free malware detection and extraction program called the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. Introduced way back in Windows Vista, this tool runs in the background, quietly scanning your system and will alert you if it detects any suspicious activity. Some types of malware can be stealthy and persistent even after a scan, though. In this case, you can try troubleshooting your PC in Safe Mode or use a diagnostic boot CD or USB portable drive to track down any pesky viruses. Have a question about email scams or anything tech-related? Kim has your answer! Tap or click here to send Kim a question, she may use it and answer it on her radio show.