The FTC says that these emails usually come to victims after their personal information is leaked in a data breach. This means the scammers may have access to your email and even some of your current or former passwords, but they do not have access to your computer or search history.
Inducing fear and a time element are some of the most common tactics grifters use to get victims to quickly hand over large sums of money before anyone realizes they've been duped. 'Scammers want you to act before you have time to think,' the FTC says.
Scammers will claim to have compromising search history and demand crypto to keep quiet. But they are almost certainly bluffing, authorities say.
These types of email sextortion scams first surfaced in 2020 when there was a spike in the number of people reporting that someone had hacked their computers and recorded them visiting adult websites.
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