Do NOT reply to these emails: Warning is issued over new 'sextortion' email scam using X-rated webcam footage

  • Scammers are sending emails claiming they have hacked into victims webcam
  • They say they have recorded them 'satisfying themselves' and demand money
  • Victims are told to pay in Bitcoin else their video will be released to social media 
  • Police are advising residents to not reply to such emails and delete them

An email scam demanding victims make a Bitcoin payment or risk images and webcam footage showing them 'satisfying themselves' being released to social media.

NSW Police warned anyone who receives the emails not to reply and to delete them immediately. 

The force shared screenshots of the emails, in which victims are told their passwords have been stolen and they have been recorded through webcam.

'I collected all your private data and I RECORDED You (through your webcam) SATISFYING YOURSELF,' read one email.

'After that I removed my malware to not leave any traces and this email was sent from some hacked server.'

An email scam has been doing the rounds asking unsuspecting victims to pay in Bitcoin or else their compromising images and webcam footage of 'satisfying themselves' will be released to social media

An email scam has been doing the rounds asking unsuspecting victims to pay in Bitcoin or else their compromising images and webcam footage of 'satisfying themselves' will be released to social media

The scammer then threatened to make the video public and asked the victim to pay $800 in Bitcoin within three days.

The scammer also provided links to websites that sell Bitcoins.

'It's a very good offer, compared to all that horrible sh** that will happen if I publish everything ,' the scammer said. 

Police said there is no reason to be concerned in most cases as online scammers generate such emails in their thousands. 

'If the email includes a password which you recognise then you should change all accounts which use this password,' police said. 

'Don't reply to the scammer and delete the email.' 

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) said it is aware of a 'sextortion' scam targeting the Australian community.

'Sextortion is a form of online blackmail where a perpetrator threatens to reveal intimate images of someone online, often to their friends and family, unless they pay a ransom,' the ACSC said. 

'Typically, the scammers have no compromising information.' 

Authorities have received more than 300 reports in the past seven days.

NSW Police is asking residents to not reply to such emails and delete them

NSW Police is asking residents to not reply to such emails and delete them

Security experts Proofpoint Australia warned Australians to be vigilant. 

'Sextortion preys on the fears and insecurities of recipients, using stolen passwords and other social engineering tricks to convince recipients their reputations are at risk,' spokesman Crispin Kerr said.

'Email scams have evolved to include stolen and leaked personal data. For example, if you receive a sextortion email that claims to have your password, we suggest visiting the website Have I Been Pwned to confirm if your password was swept up in breach. If so, cybercriminals could be using it as part of their scam.

'If your password doesn’t appear to be leaked in a breach, but the password in the sextortion email includes a current/former password, it’s important to think back and confirm if you might have clicked on a phishing link that fraudulently claimed to be associated with a legitimate account. 

'In that case, you might be the victim of credential phishing. In any case, regularly changing passwords and, where possible, using two-factor authentication tools remain best practices.

We remind anyone who receives sextortion emails to remain calm and assume the sender does not actually possess screenshots or video of any compromising activity.' 

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