Why you shouldn’t believe this scam

You may have already received one of these emails, in which a complete stranger announces that he has filmed you in front of your computer and demands payment for not broadcasting a video of you… A scam already known to the police services a few years ago. two years, which is now experiencing a resurgence. Explanations.

The number of online scams is literally exploding. Between fake Netflix unsubscribe notifications, online order notifications, fake minutes, Internet users are literally drowning in scams. A lesser-known – and much more vicious – type of scam continues to claim victims in Belgium and France every year.

Internet users receive a totally random email from a complete stranger who informs them that he has filmed them without their knowledge by hacking into the camera of their laptop computer. He claims to have captured intimate images of his victims and requests in exchange for their destruction a single payment in Bitcoin or in other cryptocurrencies to an address which is communicated in the email.

To ensure that the personal photos or videos are never seen by their loved ones, the victims of this blackmail sometimes agree to pay the ransom. What they don’t know is that most of the time this type of scam is formatted. An email is sent to tens of thousands of email addresses. The blackmailers do not have, with rare exceptions, any compromising file.

Remember also that in any case, in the event of payment, there is no guarantee that the blackmailer will delete the files…

In absolute terms, it is therefore better to avoid opening this type of email and ignore it completely.

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