DIGITAL LIFE

There's a new "sextortion" scheme peeking at your emails

The "Letters from Nigeria" scheme is already a classic of online fraud and has multiple variations. However, as one of the oldest schemes circulating by email to extort money is becoming popular, new scams are also coming up with the same goal.In the most recent scam, users receive an email from someone who claims to have hacked their computers and used the webcams to record compromising videos of the victims, threatening to share the images with all their contacts, if there is a payment of a ransom in Bitcoins .However, what makes this email especially alarming is that, to prove its authenticity, hackers refer to a true password previously linked to the email address of the concerned user.Some recipients of this campaign have verified that the password included in the email was old and was no longer in use, but for those who have the same password for years the scheme may seem more realistic, according to the Krebs on Security blog.In these cases, it is best to update your passwords and adopt the two-factor authentication system. The FBI also advises not to send compromising pictures and to be wary of attachments sent by strangers. And of course, not to pay any ransom.



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