BBB Scam Alert: Beware of Sextortion Emails

Milwaukee, Wis. – Better Business Bureau (BBB) is again warning the public about sextortion emails from scammers trying to blackmail recipients into giving them money. Sextortion emails typically include threats to reveal images and videos of the victim watching or utilizing pornography, copies of their browser history or evidence that they downloaded videos from pornographic sites.

BBBs nationwide received 32 reports of this scam in April 2020.

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov) also recently reported an uptick in online extortion scams during the stay-at-home orders issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic. With more people staying at home and likely using their phone, computer or tablet, con artists are using this opportunity to their advantage in hopes of getting money from you.

How the scam works:

The scammers will contact anyone – whether or not they’ve actually visited pornographic sites. They’ll claim to have hacked your computer, activated your webcam, and videoed you while you watched pornography. They’ll tell you they have been able to access all the pornographic websites you have visited and threaten to send embarrassing images, videos and screenshots to stolen contacts, family, friends and co-workers if a payment is not made.

Generally speaking, the threat is likely an empty one, because the blackmail message usually doesn’t have enough personal information to make their scheme plausible. However, there are some cases where the victims are specifically targeted because their data was compromised in a major security breach some time ago. In those situations, the scammer may have your email, telephone number and at least one password, and will refer to it in the email. By using real information, the scammer’s email sounds more threatening and convincing.

Recent submissions to BBB Scam Tracker state that the criminals want to be paid in bitcoin, a virtual currency that is very difficult to trace.

One consumer in Memphis, TN recently reported to BBB that she’d received a total of 5 emails over the past week demanding $2000 in bitcoins. “They used one of my passwords in the subject line and threatened to send videos to all my contacts of me in a compromised activity. The also accused me of visiting porn sites. I am almost 72 and I assure you the video is fake and I have never gone to a porn site,” she told BBB. She did not pay any money.

Another consumer reported a similar scenario. He received an email that contained a password he uses in the subject line. “The claim was that this person had video of me looking at porn and he would send it to all of my contacts if I did not pay within a set time $2000 in bitcoin. He claimed that if I contacted anyone or if I ignored it, the video would go out to all of my contacts,” he told BBB. He did not pay any money.

Other victims have reported paying the requested amount for their peace of mind.

Hackers are getting bolder and smarter and because of this, everyone is at risk of getting a sextortion email. Unfortunately, threatening the release of embarrassing footage that could negatively impact one’s personal and professional reputation, can trigger the need for self preservation, even if it comes at a cost of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Scammers will happily play on a person’s emotions to trick them out of their money, and this is why it is important that you assess the situation and not just give your money away in a panic.

BBB is sharing the following tips to help you identify and protect yourself from sextortion emails.

Red flags:

• The scammer does not provide any details about what site you supposedly visited.
• The scammer cannot support their threat with any evidence, for example, a compromising screenshot to prove they have the information they claim.
• The scammer requests an urgent ransom be paid in gift cards, bitcoins or wire transfer.
• Other red flags include grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and a window of time in which to pay up.

Protect Yourself:

• Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are—or who they say they are.
• Try searching the web for one or two sentences from the email to confirm it is actually spam.
• No matter what the email threatens, do not respond. Also, delete the email.
• Do not open attachments or click links in emails from people you do not know. Doing so could lead you to a fake website designed to trick you into giving up personal information or you may download malware to your computer or mobile device.
• Never send money, 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. Avoid using ‘password’, ‘Password123’, ‘12345’, and other most commonly used passwords. Click See more password tips.
• To give you peace of mind, keep webcams covered when you are not using them.
• Check to see if your email was compromised in a security breach.

All victims of a scam should report it on BBB Scam Tracker and the FBI Internet Complaint Center.

For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2018, people turned to BBB more than 173 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.4 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.