Online Extortion Scams Increasing During the COVID-19 Crisis

 The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has seen an increase in reports of online extortion frauds, especially among singles using dating apps, during the current "stay-at-home" orders due to the COVID-19 crisis. Because large numbers of the population are staying at home and likely using the computer more than usual, scammers may use this opportunity to find new victims and pressure them into sending money. The scammers are sending e-mails threatening to release sexually explicit photos or personally compromising videos to the individual's contacts if they do not pay. While there are many variations of these online extortion attempts, they often share certain commonalities.

Fraud COMMONALITIES:

Online extortion schemes vary, but there are a few common indicators of the fraud. The following characteristics are not all-inclusive but should serve as warning signals. It is important to remember that scammers adapt their schemes to capitalize on current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, high-profile breaches, or new trends involving the Internet, all in an attempt to make their scams seem more authentic.

• The online extortion attempt comes as an e-mail from an unknown party and, many times, written in broken English with grammatical errors.
• The recipient's personal information is noted in the e-mail or letter to add a higher degree of intimidation to the fraud. For example, the recipient's user name or password is provided at the beginning of the e-mail or letter.
• The recipient is accused of visiting adult websites, cheating on a spouse, or being involved in other compromising situations.
• The e-mail or letter includes a statement like, "I had serious spyware and adware infecting your computer," or "I have a recorded video of you" as an explanation of how the information was allegedly gathered.
• The e-mail or letter threatens to send video or other compromising information to family, friends, coworkers, or social network contacts if a ransom is not paid.
• The e-mail or letter provides a short window to pay, typically 48 hours.
• The recipient is instructed to pay the ransom in Bitcoin, a virtual currency that provides a high degree of anonymity to the transactions.

TIPS TO PROTECT YOU:

• Do not open e-mails or attachments from unknown individuals.
• Monitor your bank account statements regularly and your credit report at least once a year for any unusual activity.
• Do not communicate with unsolicited e-mail senders.
• Do not store sensitive or embarrassing photos or information online or on your mobile devices.
• Use strong passwords and do not use the same password for multiple websites.
• Never provide personal information of any sort via e-mail. Be aware that many e-mails requesting your personal information appear to be legitimate.
• Ensure security settings for social media accounts are activated and set at the highest level of protection.
• Verify the web address of legitimate websites and manually type the address into your browser.

The FBI does not condone the payment of online extortion demands, as the funds will facilitate continued criminal activity, including potential organized crime activity and associated violent crimes.

VICTIM REPORTING:

If you believe you have been a victim of this fraud, reach out to your local FBI field office, and file a complaint with the IC3 at www.ic3.gov. Please provide any relevant information in your complaint, including the online extortion e-mail with header information and Bitcoin address if available.

Beware of Emails Bringing False Gifts by Miss Know It All

Recently I received the following email: Unusual Transaction Activity. “During a review of your account, unusual transaction activity was identified. For your protection, (the name of the bank has been left out to protect the innocent) has taken the precaution of suspended access to your account. Because attempts to contact you by phone have been unsuccessful, we urge you to contact our Customer Service department immediately.”

If this were not so serious, I would be laughing all the way to the bank, because I do not have an account at the bank that was mentioned; if I did, I would have immediately send this notice to the trash bin.

An email like this is a common everyday occurrence. This type of activity is known as phishing, which is a method of trying to obtain sensitive information such as your username, password, pin number and credit card information by camouflaging as a truthful institution, such as a bank or an online payment system. If you respond to this type of notice, you can end up losing the shirt off your back.

The FTC suggests these tips to help you avoid being hooked by a phishing scam:

• If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. In addition, do not click on the link in the message, either. Legitimate companies do not ask for this information via email. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization mentioned in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company’s correct Web address yourself. In any case, don’t cut and paste the link from the message into your Internet browser — phishers can make links look like they go to one place, but that actually send you to a different site.
• Area codes can mislead. Some scammers send an email that appears to be from a legitimate business and ask you to call a phone number to update your account or access a “refund.” Because they use Voice Over Internet Protocol technology, the area code you call does not reflect where the scammers really are. If you need to reach an organization, you do business with, call the number on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card. In any case, delete random emails that ask you to confirm or divulge your financial information.
• Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge.
• Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Anti-virus software scans incoming communications for troublesome files. Look for antivirus software that recognizes current viruses as well as older ones; that can effectively reverse the damage; and that updates automatically.
• A firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and blocks all communications from unauthorized sources. It is especially important to run a firewall if you have a broadband connection. Operating systems (like Windows or Linux) or browsers (like Internet Explorer or Netscape) also may offer free software “patches” to close holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.
• Do not email personal or financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want to provide your personal or financial information through an organization’s website, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged security icons.
• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that can weaken your computer’s security.
• Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. Most organizations have information on their websites about where to report problems.
• If you believe you have been scammed, file your complaint here, and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. Victims of phishing can become victims of identity theft. While you cannot entirely control whether you will become a victim of identity theft, you can take some steps to minimize your risk. If an identity thief is opening credit accounts in your name, these new accounts are likely to show up on your credit report. You may catch an incident early if you order a free copy of your credit report periodically from any of the three major credit bureaus. See http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ for details on ordering a free annual credit report.