Below, we tell you what you can do if you’re targeted by a scam email like this.
Scam spear-phishing email
The email typically begins by saying ‘I've got some bad news to share with you’. It goes on to tell you that the writer of the email has gained access to your devices and has been monitoring your online activity.
The scammer will claim that malware has been installed on your device and they have ‘full control of your microphone, camera and keyboard’.
They then tell you they’ve downloaded all your data, including ‘your photos, browsing history, messages from your apps, social media, chat history and contacts’.
The email ends with a warning that to avoid compromising photos and videos of you being shared with your contacts, you should make a large payment to be transferred to the scammer in Bitcoin.
Recipients of the email have reported that it included their name, address, phone number and an image of their home. Some have even said that the email included an image of their passport as well as names of their contacts and the relationship they have with them.
Where do scammers get this information from?
With your name alone, scammers may be able to find out your home address, email addresses and other information about you from public records, phishing websites and your social media accounts.
The more you share on social media from public accounts, the more information a scammer is able to gather about you.
Data breaches provide another source for scammers to glean your data; the information is bought and sold on the dark web.
In these recent examples of scam emails, scammers have taken screenshots of houses on Google Maps’ street view after typing in addresses.
Read more:How to avoid being spear-phished
In the age of social media, online profiles and our ever-growing digital footprint, scammers use a variety of ways to gather enough information to target you.
It's important to not respond to these scam messages, but instead you can take precautions to limit and protect your data:
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/extortion-scams-what-to-do-if-a-scammer-has-your-data-a5Mrp1m1ufL0