Blackmailers want Bitcoin: “Of course masturbation is normal, but …”

Blackmailers are currently trying to give the impression that they have photographs of the victims as they watch pornographic videos. These are empty threats.

In a recent wave of extortion, criminals try to exploit the shame of their victims. In an email they claim to have filmed the victim while consuming pornographic videos using a webcam trojan. So that the recordings are not distributed, an amount of 500 euros is due.

“Hello, masturbation is normal, of course, but if your family and friends testify, it’s of course a great shame,” says an e-mail. “I’ve been watching you for a while because I hacked you in a commercial on a porn site with a virus.” The recipient will be asked to set up a Bitcoin account with Coinbase and pay the required money. Then the delicate recordings would be deleted.

Fakes

Even if the described facts could theoretically be possible, it is undoubtedly fakes. The e-mails are recognizable as counterfeits because they do not make any specific connection to the recipient. Not even its name is used in the current campaigns.

That can of course change if the blackmailers buy better address data, which then also contain names. But real blackmailers would also underpin their threat with images that leave no doubt that they have the alleged videos. If this is not the case, you can safely ignore such ransom mails.

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