Sextortion / Blackmail Scam

A financial columnist for New York magazine fell victim to an elaborate multi-stage scam in which fraudsters impersonating Amazon, the Federal Trade Commission, and a CIA investigator convinced her to withdraw $50,000 and hand it to them in cash over the course of a five-hour phone call. The scammers exploited her vulnerability by threatening her family and creating a false sense of urgency, using isolation tactics to prevent her from seeking help or verification. She came forward with her story to highlight that scam victims span all demographics and professions, and that sophisticated scammers are skilled at identifying and exploiting individual vulnerabilities.

A mother in Australia intervened when her teenage son was targeted by online sextortion—a scam where criminals blackmail victims using intimate images or threats to coerce money or further exploitation. The mother's quick action likely prevented her son from harming himself, though she later learned of another young person who died by suicide after falling victim to the same scheme. Experts warn that sextortion can occur on any platform with chat functions, and parents are urged to maintain open communication with their children and educate them about not sharing personal information or intimate images online.

Meta removed approximately 63,000 accounts linked to sextortion scams, primarily operated by criminals based in Nigeria. The scammers created fake Facebook accounts using stolen photos, built trust with victims through messaging, then solicited intimate photos before threatening to publicly release them unless payment was made. The scam operates as an extortion scheme designed to financially exploit victims through blackmail threats.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 880,000 complaints last year, a 10% increase from 2022, with blackmail scam emails being a prevalent threat. These emails threaten recipients with claims of embarrassing footage or compromised browsing data and often include personal details like names, addresses, and street view images to appear credible. Experts note that while these scams are rarely genuine, they are personalized enough to deceive even cautious individuals.

A new extortion scam targets victims with personalized threatening emails containing their home addresses, phone numbers, and photos from Google Street View, falsely claiming the sender has installed spyware and possesses compromising images. The scammer demands payment in bitcoin (approximately $2,000 in the case documented) threatening to release the alleged images to the victim's contacts, exploiting data from previous breaches to make the threats appear credible. Cybersecurity experts note this is a modern variation of classic extortion tactics that exploits victims' fear and the sophistication of personalized information collection.

"Sextortion" scams are targeting victims nationwide by claiming spyware has been installed on their computers, allowing scammers to capture webcam footage and screenshots of their online activity. The scammers threaten to send this alleged evidence to the victim's contacts unless they pay a ransom, using personalized details like names, addresses, and photos to appear credible. The FBI recognizes this as an extortion scheme that relies on volume and fear to pressure victims into paying.

This interview with Police Sergeant Ken Hatter addresses the "hello pervert" sextortion scam, in which fraudsters claim to have spied on victims through webcams and demand payment in Bitcoin. Hatter explains that these are mass-template emails sent to multiple recipients and are definitively scams, as actual hackers with computer access would steal money directly rather than request it via email.

This WIRED article features "Scammer Payback," a YouTube scam-baiting channel, answering audience questions about common fraud tactics and red flags. The content identifies three major warning signs of scams: scammers pressuring victims to make quick decisions (especially involving gift cards or Cash App transfers), requests for remote access to computers or phones, and demands for untraceable payment methods like Bitcoin or wire transfers. The educational piece emphasizes that time pressure is a deliberate tactic scammers use to prevent victims from consulting family members or others who might intervene.

Police and the Better Business Bureau are warning Wisconsin residents about a "sextortion" email scam in which fraudsters claim to have compromising video footage and demand approximately $2,000 in bitcoin, using publicly available personal information like phone numbers, addresses, and home photos to appear credible. The scammers, typically located in Africa, threaten to send the alleged videos to the victim's contacts unless payment is made; authorities advise recipients to ignore the emails and report them rather than respond, as the scammers will move on to other targets if no payment is received.

Romance scams surge around Valentine's Day, with scammers using sophisticated tactics like the "wrong number" text approach to build trust with lonely people over days or weeks before requesting money or gift cards. Victims have lost tens of thousands of dollars falling for these schemes, which often involve stolen photos of attractive people found on social media or modeling websites. Red flags include requests for money, inconsistent details, and photos that reverse-image search reveals are used elsewhere online; users can verify identities through reverse image search tools and avoid using the same profile photos across multiple platforms.