Hundreds of ns have been targeted by criminals who claim they have hacked their computer and accessed ‘compromising’ images and videos of them.
The scammer then threatens to release the images or videos to friends and family if they’re not paid a certain amount in cryptocurrency to a specified address.
However, the government organisation Scamwatch said there isn’t any evidence the scammer has hacked the person’s computer or webcam.
The criminal may try to convince the person to send over money by providing the personal details of the recipients, including birth dates and home addresses, which were likely accessed from previous public data breaches.
ACCC deputy chief Catriona Lowe said while ns should always stay vigilant about scams, ‘people need to be especially alert to this emerging trend’.
‘The fictional threats in these emails combined with the inclusion of people’s personal data are intended to terrify the individual reading it,’ Ms Lowe said.
‘It’s extortion and it’s a crime.’
The National Anti-Scam Centre is working alongside law enforcement and IDCARE to disrupt the scam and offer support to victims.
If a person has received a suspicious email, they are urged to ignore or delete it, and never give any money or personal information to the scammer.
If a scammer has taken a person’s money or personal details, immediately contact the bank or card provider and report the scam, and ask them to stop any transactions.
Ms Lowe urged people to ‘be aware that the recent volume of reports of this scam suggest it is a large-scale campaign’.
Anyone who has encountered this scam is encouraged to report to Scamwatch.