EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry warns residents of trending cyber fraud known as 'sextortion'.
A release from the Attorney General's office states that sextortion involves criminals demanding victims to pay to not have alleged explicit materials publicized or by blackmailing the victim over releasing their browser history. This can also coincide with pictures of the target's house.
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The release says that the criminals likely do not have any of the materials they say they have and that photos of potential victim's homes can be easily found online.
The Attorney General says that it is important to be vigilant of what you share on social media, by text message, or by email because criminals might be able to use that information to threaten targets.
According to the release, cybercriminals will try to direct potential victims to make a payment via Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency through a QR code or a direct link. The Attorney General says it is imperative that no one scans the QR codes or clicks on any links, and to not communicate with the cybercriminal at all.
The Attorney General notes that no matter what emails threaten do not respond to them and delete the email. Do not open attachments or click links from people you do not know, never send money or buy a gift card that an email demands you to do, do not answer your phone unless you recognize the number, cover your webcam when not using it, and enable two-factor authentication on important accounts.
According to the release, if you believe you are a victim of sextortion, immediately report the activity to law enforcement, call 1-800-CALL-FBI. or by visiting ic3.gov.
