From the WhatsApp Gold hoax to the ‘hey mum’ text scam, it seems cybercrooks will try almost anything to get us to part with our cash.
And their latest tactic is arguably their most shameless yet.
A new email scam has emerged in which scammers claim to have been watching you through your webcam and threaten to release the footage unless you pay up.
The email usually starts with ‘Hello pervert’, and often appears to come from your own email address.
Here are all the key signs that it’s a hoax – and what to do if you receive it.
A new email scam has emerged in which scammers claim to have been watching you through your webcam and threaten to release the footage unless you pay up (stock image)
The email usually reads something along the lines of: ‘Hello pervert.
‘I’ve sent you this message from your Microsoft account.
‘I want to inform you about a very bad situation for you.
‘However you can benefit from it, if you will act wisely.’
The message goes on to claim that the sender has footage of you recorded through your webcam, with some versions claiming that this shows you watching pornography or masturbating.
To stop the sender from sharing this alleged footage with everyone in your email contact list, you’ll be asked to pay them within a set time frame.
The email usually reads something along the lines of: ‘Hello pervert. I’ve sent you this message from your Microsoft account’
‘Don’t think of yourself as an innocent victim,’ reads one scam email, seen by MailOnline.
‘No one knows where your perversion might lead in the future, so consider this a kind of deserved punishment to stop you.’
Some scammers will mention Pegaus – a powerful spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group – in the hopes of seeming more threatening.
Others will include one of your old or inactive passwords, obtained from a previous data breach.
And when they have access to it, some scammers will include your physical address, or even a photo of your personal neighborhood.
These emails are undeniably horrible to receive, and have left many social media users shaken.
On Reddit, one user wrote: ‘I got really scared because the message was sent from my own email address, yet it was reported as junk.’
Another added: ‘I received this email a couple days ago and it is really scaring me.’
The message claims that the sender has footage of you recorded through your webcam, with some versions claiming that this shows you watching pornography or masturbating (stock image)
And over on Twitter, one person wrote: ‘Did anyone receive my sexy videos? Ill give them some credit, that’s creepy AF.’
According to cybersecurity experts at Malwarebytes, the worst thing you can do if you receive the ‘hello pervert’ email is to reply.
‘First and foremost, never reply to emails of this kind,’ it advised.
‘It may tell the sender that someone is reading the emails sent to that address and they will repeatedly try new and other methods to defraud you.’
If the email includes one of your passwords, make sure you’re not using it any more, and if you are, change it immediately, Malwarebytes advises.
It’s also important not to click on any unsolicited attachements, which could inadvertedly install malware on your device.
Finally, don’t panic.
‘Don’t let yourself get rushed into action or decisions. Scammers rely on the fact that you will not take the time to think this through and subsequently make mistakes,’ Malwarebytes said.
For ease of mind, you might also want to turn your webcam off, or buy a cover.
