Overview
Sextortion involves criminals threatening to release intimate images or information unless the victim pays money. Some sextortion attempts are completely fabricated, with scammers sending mass emails claiming to have compromising footage from hacked webcams. Others target victims who have shared intimate content online, particularly teenagers and young adults. Sextortion can have devastating emotional and psychological effects on victims.
How This Scam Works
Mass sextortion emails claim the sender hacked your webcam and recorded you visiting adult websites, demanding Bitcoin payment to prevent release.
Criminals build online relationships, convince victims to share intimate photos or videos, then threaten to distribute them unless paid.
Fake dating profiles or social media accounts lure victims into compromising video chats that are secretly recorded.
Some criminals use AI to create fake compromising images of victims from their social media photos.
Warning Signs
Real Scam Examples
These are examples of messages used in this type of scam.
I have installed malware on your computer and recorded you through your webcam while you visited adult websites. I have your contact list. Pay $2,000 in Bitcoin within 48 hours or I will send the video to everyone you know. Your password is [old password from breach].
I have screenshots of everything you sent me. If you do not send $500 via CashApp in the next hour, I am sending these to your family, friends, and employer. Do not try to block me, I already have everything saved.
How to Protect Yourself
1Do not respond to mass sextortion emails
These are sent to millions of people and are almost always fake. They use old passwords from data breaches to seem credible. Delete them and change any passwords mentioned.
2Never share intimate content online
Once images or videos are shared digitally, you lose control of them. Even with people you trust, relationships can change and content can be stolen.
3Cover your webcam when not in use
Use a webcam cover or piece of tape for an extra layer of privacy protection against any potential unauthorized access.
4Report and do not pay
Paying never guarantees the threats will stop. Report sextortion to your national cybercrime authority (IC3 in the US, CEOP in the UK, ACSC in Australia), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or equivalent child protection agency (if involving a minor), and local law enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
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