A new bitcoin scam has reportedly surfaced. In it, porn viewers are blackmailed by malicious actors who are attempting to extort $1,900 from the victims. The scammers are demanding to be paid only in Bitcoin (BTC). Through the use of malware, the scammers claim to have recorded footage of their targets watching porn.
The scammers begin to exploit their victims by first sending them an email that contains the users’ passwords or other private information. These passwords might have been obtained after company servers the victims use were hacked. They’re presented as “proof” that their computer has been compromised. At this point, whether or not the blackmailing videos even exist has not been confirmed.
Engaging in “CryptoBlackmail”
The scammers’ threatening e-mail further notes that a remote control desktop application has been installed on the porn watcher’s computer. This, the bad actors claim, allows them to remotely access the user’s computer and obtain video of them watching adult content.
Additionally, the scammers claim they have gained access to the user’s email contacts and that they will broadcast the compromising videos to everyone if they don’t get paid. They further offer “proof” by stating the footage will be sent to nine initial contacts if the user wants it.
To prevent this, the blackmailers demand $1,900 in BTC. Some analysts suggest this may all just be bluff. Cornell University’s computer science professor Emin Gün Sirer shared a copy of the emailhe said was forwarded to him by a friend.
Sirer called the scamming tactic a type of “cryotoblackmail” and advised the recipients of these emails to not send money to the scammers or engage in any type of negotiation with them.
Sirer, a well-known cybersecurity expert who accurately predicted a serious vulnerability in the Ethereum-based DAO in 2016, claims that the blackmailing message was likely sent to those subscribed to the haveibeenpwned list, which is compiled of databases from various well-known breaches.
