Cases of ‘sextortion’ involving threats of releasing alleged compromising videos are growing online, warns an official Swiss body. The advice: don’t give in and don’t pay.
Victims receive an email claiming that their webcam has been pirated and that they have been filmed watching or masturbating to pornography; they are then told that the material will be sent to all their email contacts unless a certain sum of bitcoins or francs is handed over.
To make their claims seem more believable, the scammers often include in the mail a password belonging to the victim, a personal telephone number – even the threat of an acid or bomb attack.
The mails are so believable – and perhaps the prospect of shame so strong – that victims are increasingly giving in. According to the security firm SANSExternal link, a single bitcoin account that they discovered had a balance of $22 million extorted from victims across the world.
However, the advice of MELANI is clear: don’t pay. The claims to possess compromising footage are false, it says, and giving in is simply encouraging such scams.
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
Has your continent reached its peak or is there still potential for economic growth?
Some regions of the world are on an upward trajectory with the promise of a steadily improving future. Where do you live? And in which direction is your region or continent developing?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Cybercrime is skyrocketing in Switzerland
This content was published on
Last year, 14,033 cybercrime cases were reported to police in Switzerland, compared to 11,575 in 2015 and 5,330 in 2011. A survey from the firm KPMGExternal link released this week found that 88% of Swiss companies have experienced cyber-attacks in the past year compared to 54% in 2016. This might be just the tip of…
Online fraudsters use well-known company names to spread malware
This content was published on
Cybercrimes are increasingly perpetrated under the disguise of well-known companies or even state agencies, according to the latest MELANI report.
More cyberwarriors needed, says Swiss defence minister
This content was published on
Switzerland remains under-resourced in fighting the almost ‘daily’ cyber attacks targeting the country, said Defence Minister Guy Parmelin.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.