Out of all scam attempts, sextortion emails are some of the most frightening. You’re scrolling through your inbox one day, sorting through ads for unwanted products and messages from friends and business contacts, but then something different catches your eye and you pause for a closer look. The email seems personal. It might even be addressed to your name directly, so you click on it only to come face-to-face with a spam email claiming to have webcam footage or photos of you. Private ones that they will share or make public if you do not send them money, Bitcoin, or any other valuable ransom right away.
Table of Contents:
Spam emails are common, but this is something new and scary. They’re called sextortion emails, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Report collected more than 48,000 reports in the last year alone. They are quite common because they’re frightening, and people who receive an email saying they have videos or photos of you in compromising positions are more likely to elicit a swift response.
Before you do anything, it is important to determine if you’ve received real blackmail or just another spam message from a sextortion scammer. In most cases, it’s the latter, and you can breathe a sigh of relief. Before you can let go of the concern completely, it helps to understand how to recognize extortion email scams and combat them safely.
What Is a Sextortion Email?
Sextortion email scams come from cybercriminals who claim to have intimate content or access to your webcam or private files. They threaten to release them, send them to important people in your life, or even share them with your employer. In most cases, they insist on Bitcoin in return, but some may prefer gift cards or some other compensation.
The types of claims that sextortion scammers make:
- Email claiming to have hacked camera or webcam
- Email claiming to have hacked email accounts
- Email scam threatening to release a video
- Spam email saying “I recorded you”
- “Look, I found an old photo of you” message
What is a sextortion scam? At its most basic, it’s just like any other type of phishing or hacking email you get. These scammers just found an effective way to convince people to give them Bitcoin or other ransom more frequently. No one wants their nudes or videos sent to their parents or posted in public online. The nefarious people prey on the emotional impact of the threats.
Could it be real blackmail porn or revenge spam?
Unfortunately, a small percentage of these sextortion emails are genuine. If you get a message like this from someone you know who actually has access to compromising photos or videos, you need to take action to stop this malicious revenge. It’s also possible that extortion porn threats come from sexual predators online who found you through other sources like social media accounts.
Signs the Sextortion Email Is Real
- Proof of genuine access to your videos or images
- Proof of contact with friends, family, or employer
- Ongoing threats even after you ignore or report the email
- Harassment outside of email: texts, phone calls, or in-person contact
- Actual contact with other people related to you in some way
Take a deep breath and read on. You can learn how to know if an email is fake and what to do about it. True or false: the majority of emails are spam emails? True. Careful research has shown that more than 45% of all emails are spam. This increases the chance that you received a spammy sextortion email like tens of thousands of other people and aren’t the primary target of someone who knows you.
Why Did I Get a Sextortion Email?
Two reasons exist why you got ransom emails. Either the blackmail porn is real, or it is simply another cybercriminal sending out bulk email threats asking for money. The latter is much more common and likely. It’s quite easy for scammers to get ahold of huge email lists and even find your real name associated with them. They have bulk email sending programs that spam thousands of people at the same time in the hope that someone will get scared enough to send them Bitcoin or other information.
But the scammer has my email and phone number! While this can make it seem more legitimate, remember that this information is quite often publicly available. What happens if a scammer has your email address? They add you to the list of accounts they contact with the same copy-paste message. In the majority of cases, there’s nothing personal about these sex-based extortion emails at all. You might have inadvertently clicked a malware link or gotten a virus from a questionable website, but in most cases, you’ve done nothing wrong.
How To Tell If a Sextortion Email Is Real
How do I know if an email is fake? You really can’t tell by looking at the email address because scammers can spoof them quite easily. They can even make it look like the message came from someone you know or your own name. If they can make it appear to come from a real email, it’s easier to convince the recipient to send the blackmail money.
The subject of the message isn’t going to come right out and say it’s a sextortion email either. However, threatening emails may use language that indicates an issue or that quick action is needed. Warning, attention, last chance, or comments that mention a personal data breach or leaked information are common.
What if the email from sextortion contains a lot of correct information?
Have you already established that the sextortion message is not a genuine threat from someone you know who has undeniable access to your personal images or videos? Even if you have, the emails may still contain personal information like your full name, date of birth, usernames to various sites, employers, or family member names.
There are two main reasons why a cybercriminal would have this information. First, they found it readily available online in public records or your own activity. For example, if you post a name and workplace on social media, it’s quite easy to gather that data. Second, they acquired the information from a data breach from a formerly private source. If they reveal an old username and password that you don’t use anymore, this is most likely the case. It does not mean that they have access to your current pages or computer.
5 Signs of a Fake Sextortion Scam Email
1 – Consider the Possibility of Genuine Sextortion Messages
Ask yourself the following questions to help you figure out the answer to this most important question: ‘How do I know if an email is real or fake?’
- Did I actually send adult photos or videos to anyone or put them online at all?
- Could someone who wants to hurt me get access to them? (An ex, for example.)
- Does the email sender have specific details and evidence?
- Have I used the platforms they claim to have access to?
The most obvious proof that someone is actually trying to blackmail you is if they have a photo or video you know you took and shared with someone. This goes beyond sextortion and into the realm of revenge porn or blackmail, which is a criminal matter you should contact the police about promptly. Once you’ve covered that, you need to know how to spot if an email is fake.
2 – Search the Email Content Online
Scammers sometimes copy-paste threatening emails from nefarious sources online. They actually take lessons in how to blackmail people using sextortion in a way. These emails frequently use the same phrases or threats. If you find them on Google or another search engine, chances are that they have nothing to do with you specifically. You may not only find evidence of the advice, but other spam targets sharing what they received as a heads up to others.
3 – Take a Close Look at the Language and Grammar
Most sextortion example emails will not use proper, native English. Instead, they often use poor grammar, strange wording, and over-excited language designed solely to elicit a fear reaction or confusion. Sometimes, the threats may seem a bit cartoonish. There’s a big difference between a nasty ex saying, “Remember that photo you sent me?” with intent to harm you and a scammer saying, “If you don’t pay in 48 hours, I will send your dirty porno to every contact!”
4 – Mention of a Data Breach without Other Evidence
If your bank, business accounts, or major platforms experience a data breach or security issue, they will contact you directly and let you know. This usually comes with a strong suggestion to change your passwords and otherwise protect your information. If you did not receive anything like this, but the sextortion scam tells you that it happened, it becomes very suspicious. Hacks and data breaches are frightening, which is why these scammers use the claims to force you into action.
5 – Only Bitcoin Can Help with Spam Email Revenge
No hacker is going to accept PayPal or Venmo when they ask for money to stop the blackmail from continuing. Things like Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies are untraceable; that’s their primary benefit for many who use them. A real extortion email probably comes from someone who doesn’t use or know much about Bitcoin and would be more likely to ask for cash or an online payment they can use.
How Can I Avoid Email Sextortion?
Most people who fall prey to online or email-based scams, phishing attempts, and extortion of any kind do so because they honestly think the other person is someone they know or is honest about the threats they make. The first is highly likely. Some sextortion experts prey upon folks looking for connection and convince them over time to send sexual content. The easiest way to avoid this is to simply not do it. Keep your photo and video sharing to people you have met in real life and established a trust relationship with.
Solicitation of adult material is not the usual method for this type of scam, however. You already know how to answer the question, “Are sextortion emails legit?” They’re hard to avoid, to be honest. The best thing to do is ignore them, delete immediately, and do a security scan on your computer or phone for good measure.
One way how to see if an email is fake is to ignore it. If the problem goes away, it wasn’t personal to begin with. Cybercriminals don’t waste time on unresponsive targets. They have millions more to try. What should you do if you are ever in doubt about the legitimacy of a link or attachment? Never click a link or open or download an attachment in any email you do not 100% know and expect.
What Should You Do If You Receive a Blackmail Email That’s Real?
1 – Do not ignore genuine sextortion emails. The person will not stop harassing you like a scammer will. You must take some action to protect yourself.
2 – Do not give into the threats. Never pay off blackmailers because it will not make them stop, and you have no guarantee they get rid of the concerning photos or videos.
3 – Report threatening emails to your local police department or those in the location of the known individual who is sending the messages to you.
4 – Call the FBI or contact the local field office to report the messages. They also offer an online tips form for general cybercriminal contact if you do not know the person contacting you directly.
5 – Contact Digital Investigation to get professional assistance to stop the sextortion and harassment and regain your sense of safety and protection.
Protect Yourself from Sextortion and Blackmail Scams
Sextortion online blackmail scams can happen to anyone at any time. Protection from these unsettling messages starts way before the ransom email is received. These tips can help keep you safe:
1 – Use Strong Passwords and Change Them Regularly
Most platforms insist on strong passwords these days. Even if they don’t, create ones that include both lower case and capital letters, numbers, and symbols to stymie hackers and scam artists. Use a unique password for each website, email address, and account you have.
2 – Avoid Sharing Compromising Content Online
One of the earliest lessons in internet safety is that not everyone is who they say they are. It is so easy to remain anonymous or set up a catfishing account (where a person pretends to be someone completely different from who they really are) online. Do not send explicit content to random people, even if you messaged back and forth with them for a while. Don’t store these photos or videos on the internet either, even if the platform promises security.
3 – Protect Yourself from Viruses and Malware
Use built-in security software, scan your device regularly, keep things updated, and keep those firewalls up. Also, familiarize yourself with smart internet and mobile use and follow recommended protocols all the time. This will help you avoid falling prey to remote access Trojans, for example, that can access your webcam.
Should I Be Worried About a Sextortion Email
Don’t panic. Now that you know how to tell if an email is a scam, you will not succumb to the understandable fear that someone will actually send your pictures to your mother or boss. Take some time to reread the sections to help you know how to tell if a blackmailer is bluffing or not. While ignoring the message is a great option in most cases, these scam emails are still a huge problem in the world today.
Take action to protect yourself and potentially others. Ignore, delete, block the account, report sextortion emails to the service provider, and get the authorities involved when necessary. In most cases, you do not have to take the last step. You are most likely one of the other 48,000 people who received a similar message in a mass-email scam attempt.
Unfortunately, these fake sextortion and scam emails are difficult to stop completely. If you feel threatened by the phishing or blackmail attempts and need real help to deal with these messages, contact the Digital Investigation sextortion helpline right away for a professional consultation.
We can assist with navigating the stressful situation, investigating the perpetrators, stop the sextortion messages, and secure your email in the future. Fill out the feedback form or click the chat button right away to get started.