How-to guide
Sextortion scams
A frightening email claims a hacker recorded you through your webcam and will send it to your contacts unless you pay in Bitcoin. In the vast majority of cases, it's a bluff — they have nothing.
How the bluff works
- The email may include an old password from a data breach to seem credible.
- It claims access to your camera and contacts and demands crypto within 48 hours.
- There is usually no actual video — it's a mass-sent template betting on fear.
What to do
Don't pay and don't reply. Change any password the email quotes (and anywhere you reused it), cover your webcam if you like, and report it to the FBI at ic3.gov. Paste it into Scam Doctor to confirm it's the standard template.
Frequently asked questions
Does the hacker really have a video of me?
Almost never. Sextortion emails are mass-sent bluffs that use a breached password to seem real. Don't pay; change the quoted password.
They knew my password — how?
It was exposed in an old data breach and bought in bulk. Change it everywhere you used it and enable two-factor authentication.