HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – A sextortion scam is making a resurgence this year, with crooks using scare tactics to extract money from victims.
The scam has been dubbed the “Hello Pervert” scam. It starts with an email claiming the recipient has been caught visiting adult websites.
The email states that scammers have installed malware on the victim’s computer and have recorded them visiting these sites. Some emails include the recipient’s home address to make the threat seem legitimate.
The scammers claim that if the victim pays within 24 to 48 hours, they will delete all videos and uninstall the malware.
Karen Reeves with the Better Business Bureau said this is a scam, and scammers are using scare tactics to get money.
Red flags to watch for
Reeves said there are red flags that can help identify the scam.
“It’s always going to be either bitcoin or cryptocurrency but we primarily have seen they are always looking for bitcoin,” Reeves said. “Those bitcoin ATMs are in a lot of convenience stores so they may direct you there so once you put cash in them and transfer that money to wherever they are directing you, it’s gone.”
Reeves said recipients should not click or pay anything. She said people should not interact with the email at all and should delete it.
“Don’t click on any links and don’t click on anything within the email and just delete it off,” Reeves said. “As long as you don’t answer and let the scammer know that this is an active working number, and that’s the same thing for an email, if you don’t respond to that then they’re not going to know that they’ve found an active email address to try to extort more money out of you.”
Reeves also recommends reporting the scam to BBB Scam Tracker and the Federal Trade Commission.
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