Sextortion email scammers increase their “Hello pervert” money demands

Every so often the sextortion emails that start with “Hello pervert” get a redesign.

You may have received one yourself: The emails claim that the sender has been watching your online behavior and caught you red-handed doing activities that you would like to keep private.

The email usually starts with “Hello pervert” and then goes on to claim that you have been watching porn. The sender often says they have footage of what you were watching and what you were doing while watching it.

To stop the sender from spreading the incriminating footage to your email contact list, you are asked to pay them money. The overall tone is threatening, manipulative, and designed to provoke fear and urgency.

We know these emails are a big problem. We see thousands of people visiting our website a week looking to find information on sextortion emails like these. And now we’re seeing a new version with some features we haven’t seen in the past. Interestingly, just as the cost of food, travel, and—well—living has gone up, so has the amount of money that the scammers ask for in the email.

Price hike

Back in April, the price that scammers were asking victims to pay for being a “pervert” was $1200, and in May it was $1450.

This time we’re asked to pay no less than $1650.

There could be several reasons for this. Maybe the costs of the operation have gone up. Or the scammers feel the value of their threat and its consequences have increased.

Scammers often start with what seems a “reasonable amount” to them and, if successful, incrementally increase it for future victims. This allows them to gauge the maximum amount that people are willing to pay to avoid the threatened consequences.

I’m happy to report that both the mentioned Litecoin wallets are empty. Let’s keep it that way.

How to spot a sextortion email

Once you’re aware of them, it’s easy to recognize these emails. Remember that not all of the below characteristics might be included in the email you receive, but all of them are red flags in their own right.

• They often look as if they were sent from your own email address.

• The scammer accuses you of inappropriate behavior and claims to have footage of that behavior.

• In the email the scammer claims to have used Pegasus or some Trojan to spy on you through your own computer.

• The scammer says they know your password and may even offer one as “proof”. This password is likely to have been stolen in a separate data breach and is unrelated to the sextortion email itself.

• You are urged to pay up quickly or the so-called footage will be spread to all your contacts. Often you’re only allowed one day to pay.

• The actual message often arrives as an image or a pdf attachment. Scammers do this to bypass phishing filters.

How to react to sextortion emails

First and foremost, never reply to emails of this kind. It may tell the sender that someone is reading the emails sent to that address and so they will repeatedly try other methods to defraud you.

• 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.

• Do not open unsolicited attachments. Especially when the sender’s address is suspicious or even your own.

• If the email includes a password, make sure you are not using it anymore and if you are, change it as soon as possible.

• If you are having trouble organizing your passwords, have a look at a password manager.

• For your ease of mind, turn off your webcam or buy a webcam cover so you can cover it when you’re not using the webcam.