Sextortion Scams

MalMonroe

This is a really common - and sadly, growing - scam. So common that there are numerous documentaries currently on different apps about it.  

Advice is to report it to Action Fraud These hackers/blackmailers can be caught via their IP address and in a documentary I saw recently on Netflix the perpetrator's iPhone was traced. 

Apparently quite a lot of young people are trying this as a way to make what they think is easy money but in the process they are managing to ruin other people's lives.  

There's some info here : https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/cyber-crime

and here - https://www.getsafeonline.org/

I'd report (so that the hackers can hopefully be caught), block and bin any other messages. 

phillw

I used a specific address for forums etc that isn't traceable to my name & I don't give my correct name either.

When someone emails me with the fake name, I know I can ignore it. 

mjm3346

From an MSE article there is a link to a site you can use to check how many times your e-mail addresses have been Pwned


https://haveibeenpwned.com/

p00hsticks

Grumpy_chap said:

Peter999_2 said:

Have they told that they have watched you through your webcam caught you watching adult sites?

So, out of interest, how would that work? 
If I was watching content (of any kind) on the laptop, my webcam would be looking the other way, so at me.  No way of telling whether I am watching adult sites, in a work Teams meeting, or posting on MSE Forum.  
The only way I can think of would be if I had a mirror right behind me while at the PC.  I doubt that is a common set up.

As other's have said, it's all a scam and they don't actually have access to your webcam, but to answer your hypothetical question without spelling it out too much;  

I suspect a person's facial expressions (and possibly hand movements) would be rather different when watching adult sites than if they were in a work Teams meeting.....

(wasn't there one of the 'Black Mirror' TV series episodes on this topic ?) 

p00hsticks

North Yorkshire Police have today issued some advice to those who believe that they genuinely have been hacked,,,
Hacking warning: York and North Yorkshire police warning | York Press 

TripleH

I have had a few after Linked-In was hacked. The problem for the scammer was that it was a very old password they quoted.

Most laptops have webcams but also slideable covers and are setup to look at your face. Besides that was a video of a Victoria Sponge you were looking at

DullGreyGuy

Grumpy_chap said:

Peter999_2 said:

Have they told that they have watched you through your webcam caught you watching adult sites?

So, out of interest, how would that work? 
If I was watching content (of any kind) on the laptop, my webcam would be looking the other way, so at me.  No way of telling whether I am watching adult sites, in a work Teams meeting, or posting on MSE Forum.  
The only way I can think of would be if I had a mirror right behind me while at the PC.  I doubt that is a common set up.

1) Presumably what you do whilst watching pørn is different to what you do whilst on a work Team's meeting... if you have the same dull/glazed over expression you probably want to change what you are watching!

2) If their claim was true, which it isnt, and they had full access and control of your computer then in theory they could either i) capture the URL of what you were watching at the same time to recreate a side by side video of the pørn and you or ii) be screen capturing whats on screen at the same time as your webcam.

Grumpy_chap

DullGreyGuy said:

1) Presumably what you do whilst watching pørn is different to what you do whilst on a work Team's meeting... if you have the same dull/glazed over expression you probably want to change what you are watching!

Do you mean to say that not everyone has the same particularly enthralling Teams meeting at work as I do?

One thing I do is to keep a square of post-it note stuck over the webcam and actually use an external plug in USB webcam when I need to use one.  That is because I keep the laptop away from line of sight most of the time (using an external keyboard, monitor, mouse) and I know with the external webcam whether the USB lead is plugged in or not.

RobM99

Got a similar one this morning from "Margaret" including a link to a gallery (not clicked on!). The email address "Margaret" is using is denis.kotov   etc - so the sex change was obviously a success!
I replied  with "I have forwarded this email to ScamAware. Hugs, Rachel."   Just had a reply from "Margaret's beauty chat"! Obviously bot-generated.

Grumpy_chap

RobM99 said:

Got a similar one this morning from "Margaret" 
I replied  with "I have forwarded this email to ScamAware. Hugs, Rachel."   

I never reply to these types of scam e-mail as they just then have evidence that you have a proper live working e-mail accounts and you can be set as a target for increased volume of contact attempts.
No matter how diligent you think you are, the scammer only needs to catch you with your guard down once...