Warning: MD Internet-Extortion Scams Increase, Don't Be Fooled

BALTIMORE, MD — Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh is warning consumers of an increase in reports of online photo and video privacy extortion scams. Thieves are using email to threaten victims into paying a ransom to prevent certain personal information from being circulated online.

Scammers are preying on fears that safety, security, and privacy are at risk inside your home with devices including webcams, watches, smart TVs, smartphones, and home utilities all connected to each other and to the Internet. While this connectivity makes those devices at risk for hacking and violations of privacy since data is collected and stored by the devices, the chances that they are being used to secretly “spy” on your activities within your home are slim, the attorney general says in a news release.

Scammers are using this fear to try and extort money from individuals, usually through an email, by threatening to release “embarrassing” videos or photos to the victim’s email contacts.

One of the tricks these scammers use is to claim they have the target's password for an account,
and then reveal the password in the email, according to a news release. The password may be one that you use or have used in the past, which criminals have accessed by breaking into corporate databases. Authorities say it's almost certain that scammer have not actually accessed your email or other private accounts.

Marylanders should not pay any money — whether through wire transfer, online payment application, gift card, or Bitcoin — to anyone who claims to have embarrassing videos, audio tapes, or photos of you or your family. If you receive an email that tries to extort money in this way, follow these steps:

• Change your email password immediately, and do not use a password that you have used
• previously.
• Do not click on any links in the email; instead, just delete it.
• If you have the option, block that sender from sending you further emails.
• If you are worried about being seen through your webcam, which is unlikely, put a piece of black tape over the camera and only take it off when you need to use the camera.

“If you get a threatening email like this, delete it,” said Frosh in a statement. “It’s a numbers
game for these thieves; only one person has to fall for it for the scammer to make thousands of
dollars. Don’t fall for it; it’s a scam, plain and simple.”

This scam is hitting email users worldwide. If you have been a victim and paid a ransom to one
of these crooks, officials say you should report the theft to your local police department.

SEE ALSO: Avoid Holiday Scams; Shoppers Beware

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