Scam Spotlight: Extortion Emails

DATCP has recently received an increased number of reports about extortion attempts sent by email and text. The messages in question falsely claim that the sender has obtained private and potentially damaging information, often video recordings, of the target. They may imply they have been watching and recording the target’s actions for a long time. The scammer threatens to send the data to the target’s friends, family, and coworkers if they do not pay up.

The scammer often claims the target has visited unsafe websites, which allowed the scammer to access the target’s devices – including webcams or cell phone cameras. They may even send some accurate information to make their claim more believable, such as a Google Maps photo of the target’s home. This can be very alarming and convincing.

Payment is typically requested in the form of cryptocurrency, and the messages sent by the scammer will be designed to instill urgency in the target. Do not panic! It is unlikely the scammer truly has compromising video or information about you.

What to do if you are targeted:

· Ignore the message – do not contact them back or open any links or attachments.

· Never send money – whether in the form of cryptocurrency, gift cards, or direct wire transfers.Change your password – especially if the scammer references having it. If you reused the password for multiple accounts, create new and unique passwords for each account to prevent the scammer from accessing any of them.

· Report it. If you are targeted by an extortion or blackmail scheme, report it to DATCP, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov, the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov, and if the message was sent to a work account, to your employer’s technology department.