(WHDH) — The Better Business Bureau is warning the public to beware of sextortion emails from scammers who are 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,” the BBB wrote in a post on its website.
The BBB says it received 32 reports of sextortion scam attempts last month. The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center also recently reported an uptick in online extortion scams during the stay-at-home orders issued in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Scammers will contact anyone, even if they didn’t actually visit pornographic sites, according to the BBB.
“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,” the BBB wrote.
The scam threats are said to be likely “empty” because blackmail messages usually don’t have enough personal information to make scammers’ schemes plausible.
Recent submissions to BBB Scam Tracker state that the criminals want to be paid in bitcoin.
For tips on how to protect yourself and spot red flags, click here.
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