Sextortion scams: how to avoid becoming a victim
Personal information is being used by email scammers to make their threats seem more serious. To avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, follow these tips.
An email “sextortion” scam is giving traditional fraud methods a sassy new twist, but a cybersecurity expert at the University of Alberta says you can keep yourself and your information secure by following certain tried-and-true preventative steps.
Even while scams that exploit human emotions are nothing new, what makes this particular sextortion attempt stand out is the fact that they’re attempting to extort someone by holding something that would be the most sensitive or humiliating to them. And the bait is the private information of the user. In any الإلكترونية الجرائم مكافحة وحدة, we can help you out.
What happens when you use it
It is a sort of fraud in which someone threatens to reveal your private and sensitive information until you provide sexual favours, sexual photos, or money. A password you use now or have used lately, your driver’s licence, or even your social security number, are the tools the criminals employ to get your attention in this scenario. You’re then told they’ve inserted malicious software on your computer and recorded you viewing sexually explicit video, which they claim to have. In the event that you fail to meet their Bitcoin ransom demand, they will disclose your private video to everyone in your contact list, including family, friends, and colleagues.
Sextortion criminals really utilise databases of usernames, passwords, and other personal information stolen from websites in recent years to commit their crimes. No private or sensitive information is being threatened, thus there’s no need to respond or comply with their requests.
It’s more difficult to dismiss the ransom demands in sextortion schemes than in other phishing scams posing as law enforcement or government institutions.
Even if the scammed victim is aware that the scammer is a criminal, the fact that they are an advanced criminal who has recorded what they claim to have recorded would enhance realism. Furthermore, requesting payment in Bitcoin makes logical since the payment receiver stays anonymous. You can get our help in الإلكترونية الجرائم.
Getting the Email: What to Do If You Receive It
Don’t be afraid to go with your gut. Don’t react, don’t pay the ransom, and don’t click on the link without thinking first. Email scams are easily identified by the obvious signals they include. Pay attention to welcomes that don’t include your name, spelling and grammar faults that are common, and rhetoric that is intended to intimidate you into paying the ransom promptly.
Take a deep breath and pause for reflection. Buying that time will give you a fresh perspective on the situation.
Protect your personal information at all times.
Fraudsters are shifting to social media as email providers beef up their scam-fighting defences, so Mah urged being cautious about what you put out there to limit the risk that scammers can take your personal information and use it against you.
