Sextortion: Inflation-hit fraudsters increase claims

IT security researchers are observing price increases in current scams involving sextortion emails. Apparently, the fraudsters are also suffering from inflation and need more money.

Malwarebytes reports on this in a recent blog post. Such scam emails often arrive in waves in recipients' inboxes, with IT security researchers citing typical salutations such as “Hello pervert”. The senders usually claim to have observed the recipients in their online activities and to have caught them in the act of engaging in salacious activities that they prefer to keep private. In plain language, the claims are usually that potential victims have allegedly been caught watching pornographic material and that there are recordings of what they were watching and doing.

Blackmail with demands for payment

To prevent the blackmailers from distributing these recordings to people on their email and social media contact lists, recipients are asked to pay them money. The tone is generally threatening, manipulative, and designed to provoke fear and urgency, Malwarebytes employees explain. The company observes that these emails are a major problem, as thousands of visitors come to their website every week searching for information on sextortion emails. However, one recent email caught the attention of IT researchers.

The sender claims to be sending the email to the recipient from their Microsoft account. This is a simple way of forging sender addresses. The email text makes reference to the Pegasus spyware, which the victims would certainly have heard of, which can be installed on computers and smartphones and enables hackers to track the activities of device owners. The spyware allows access to the webcam, messenger, emails and so on; it can run on Android, iOS, macOS and Windows. The text of the email already builds up pressure that spyware can apparently run on any of the victim's devices.

The perpetrators also claim to have installed this spyware on all the recipient's devices several months ago and then gained access to all aspects of their private life. However, it is particularly important to the blackmailer that he has made many videos “of you masturbating to controversial porn videos”. After a few more voltes in the text, it's all about an indulgence payment: For 1650 US dollars in Litecoin (LTC), which victims are supposed to transfer to the scammer's crypto wallet, he will delete all videos and uninstall the Pegasus spyware. Finally, the scammers build up time pressure and give the victims 48  hours.

The price increase is particularly eye-catching, explains Malwarebytes. In April, fraudsters used the same scam to demand 1200 US dollars, in May the demand rose to 1450 US dollars. Now in June 1650 US dollars are apparently due. The authors go on to explain that the fraudsters are apparently going through a pricing process that is not uncommon in the private sector. Operating expenses might have risen or that the extortionists believe that the value of their threat to the consequences has increased.

Recipients should report such blackmail letters to the police. They should not click on any links or download any attachments.

The criminal energy and creativity of the perpetrators remain at a high level. In the USA, criminals are now even sending pictures of the victims' surroundings. However, the perpetrators cannot be lulled into a false sense of security. In Australia, a real sextortion blackmailer was caught and sentenced to 17 years in prison in the middle of last year. Of 280 cases there, 180 involved minors.

(dmk)