New (s)extortion scam

Published on October 09, 2024

A new scam is making its way around the country, including right here in Lenexa. Victims receive an email that addresses them by name and may include other information such as the victim’s phone number, home address and even a photo of the victim’s home (which is actually taken from a public website, not in person).

The scammer claims to have hacked the victim’s phone or computer camera and captured compromising or embarrassing photos or videos of the victim or their internet search history. The scammer demands a ransom payment, or the photos/videos will be leaked to the victim’s friends and family via social media. 

The scammer usually demands payment by scanning a QR code or via a bitcoin ATM, where the victim feeds cash into the machine. 

In some cases, victims do have compromising photos or videos that were captured by spyware on the victim’s phone or computer. In other cases, the victim does not have any compromising photos but received the fraudulent email anyway. 

If you have fallen victim and paid money to a scammer, we encourage you to file a police report as soon as possible. 

There are a few ways you can protect yourself. 

• Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are or who they say they are. 
• Don’t open attachments or scan QR codes from people you don’t know. 
• Turn off and cover any web cameras when you are not using them.