Sextortion scams are a type of phishing attack whereby people are coerced to pay a BitCoin ransom because they have been threatened with sharing videos of themselves visiting adult websites. Be XXX-tremely cautious of such scams.

Sextortion scams are made to appear all the more credible because they provide seemingly plausible technical details about how this was achieved, and the phish can sometimes also include the individual’s password.

Phishes are designed to play on people’s emotions so that they will behave in a way which is out of character, and scams such as this are no different. The phisher is gambling that enough people will respond so that their scam is profitable; they do not know if you have a webcam, have been visiting adult websites, or the means by which you communicate with people – in short, they are guessing.

The phisher hopes to emotionally trigger people so that they will ‘take the bait’ and pay the ransom - a typical modus operandi.

What to do if you’ve received a threatening email

Don't communicate with the criminal. As with other phishing attacks, our advice is to not engage with the criminal. If you have received an email which you’re not sure about, forward it to the NCSC's Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): report@phishing.gov.uk, and then delete it.

Should I pay the ransom?

If you are tempted to pay the ransom, you might be targeted with future scams, as the criminal will know they have a 'willing' customer.

Check if your accounts have been compromised

Do not worry if your password is mentioned. It has probably been discovered from a previous data breach. You can check by visiting https://haveibeenpwned.com/. Change any passwords that are mentioned. If a password you still use is included, then change it immediately. For advice on how to create good passwords, please visit some of our blog posts.

If you've already paid the ransom...

If you have been a victim of a sextortion scam and have paid the BitCoin ransom, then report it to your local police force by calling 101 or Action Fraud.

Emotional support

If you need emotional support this is available from charities such as Victim Support by calling 0808 168 9111 or visiting: https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

Reporting

Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).