Scammer claims to catch you watching porn, demands payment, BBB says
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A scam is making its way through email inboxes, threatening people to pay up, or else.
Many people during the COVID-19 pandemic are getting an email that claims they've been caught watching porn or doing something not so good on their web camera. With so many people working remotely, this email is scary, especially since the scammer has a password you may use.
The email is popping up in inboxes, and this email gets straight to the point, stating, "You visited the porno websites, my spyware ended up being activate inside your computer which ended up saving a lovely video." You get the point.
The email goes on to say they have a video of you doing dirty things.
But Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina representative Alyssa Parker said the email is only meant to scare you into a sense of urgency.
"Scammers are trying to get that sense of fear, the sense of urgency, and it's scary especially when they say they have these sensitive photos and videos of you, but really take a step back and realize this scam is going around," Parker said.
Parker said the whole goal of the email is to get your money. "They are asking for money, or else they are going to release video of them visiting this pornographic site to friends, family, co-workers," Parker said.
The scammer will ask for payment in bitcoin, gift cards or a wire transfer. No matter what, don't pay up. Ignore the email instead.
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Troubleshooter takeaways:
- Change your passwords often and make all of those passwords two-factor authentication.
- If you do have a web camera, always put tape over it.
- Make sure you have anti-virus protection on your devices.
If you're wondering how these scammers got access to your email and passwords in the first place, it more than likely happened during one of the major security breaches over the last year. If you do think someone has access to your computer, you might want to have your computer checked for any malware.
