The National Anti-Scam Centre has detected a new bulk extortion email campaign targeting Australians and is warning the public to be alert to this issue.
Scamwatch has received hundreds of reports in the past week of people targeted by criminals who claim to have compromising images or videos of the recipient after hacking into their computer or webcam.
There is no evidence that the criminals behind these emails really do have access to the victim’s webcam or computer.
“We are issuing this urgent alert to bring this concerted scam campaign to the attention of the public. While we should always be vigilant about scams, people need to be especially alert to this emerging trend,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
The way this scam operates is that the scammers send an email threatening to release compromising material if they are not paid a certain amount of cryptocurrency to a specified address. The emails include personal details of the recipients, such as birth dates and addresses, which are provided to make the scam more convincing and intimidate those individuals into sending money.
These personal details are likely to have been sourced from previous public data breaches.
“The fictional threats in these emails combined with the inclusion of people’s personal data are intended to terrify the individual reading it. It’s extortion and it’s a crime,” Ms Lowe said.
“People should ignore these spam emails and be aware that the recent volume of reports of this scam suggest it is a large-scale campaign. The National Anti-Scam Centre is working with partner organisations, including law enforcement and IDCARE, to disrupt this scam and ensure victims have access to support.”
Examples of these spam emails with identifying information redacted are included below.
People who encounter this scam are encouraged to report to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au/reportascam. Reports help us identify new and emerging scams so we can warn the public and stop scammers succeeding.
Examples of bulk extortion scam emails
These are examples of this scam reported to Scamwatch:
How to identify and avoid scams
Consumers are urged to ‘Stop, check, protect’:
Stop - Don’t give money or personal information to anyone if unsure. Delete the email.
Check - Contact a computer specialist if you have concerns about the security of your device.
Protect - If a scammer has taken your money or personal details, contact your bank or card provider immediately to report the scam. Ask them to stop any transactions. Information on how to avoid scams after a data breach is available on the Scamwatch website. Report scams to scamwatch.gov.au when you see them to protect others.
Support for people targeted by scammers
- Being scammed can cause significant emotional distress and financial hardship. The National Anti-Scam Centre’s Scamwatch and other support agencies have heard thousands of stories of scams. When you report your scam, the people who read your report understand how you are feeling. You are not alone.
- If you need crisis services or emotional support contact BeyondBlue 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
- Scammers want you to hide or deny your experiences. Reaching out to support services not only helps you to understand what happened but informs authorities about scammer activities so that they can make it harder for scams to occur.
- If you have been a victim of cybercrime or identity fraud you can report to the police via Reportcyber at cyber.gov.au/report-and-recover/report
- IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service. They can help you make a plan (for free) to limit the damage. When you report to Scamwatch, you have the option to be referred to IDCARE, so you don’t have to reach out to them separately. Visit idcare.org to find out more.
- More information about where to go for support is available via Scamwatch.gov.au.
Go to Scamwatch.gov.au, or ‘follow’ our social media accounts for scam alerts and information to help you spot and avoid scams.