In a recent cyber threat development, a new sextortion scam has emerged, masquerading as an email communication from the adult website YouPorn. The scam leverages the fear of victims by falsely claiming that a sexually explicit video of the recipient has been uploaded to YouPorn’s network of adult sites, with demands for payment to prevent its release.
Sextortion scams of this nature involve cybercriminals falsely asserting possession of compromising images or videos and then demanding payment to prevent their public exposure. Despite their seemingly ludicrous nature, these scams have proven to be alarmingly effective, with reports of substantial earnings for the perpetrators since their first appearance in 2018.
The fraudulent email impersonating YouPorn not only falsely claims that the video will be published unless action is taken but also offers a link that supposedly allows the removal of the video for free.
However, these links are deceptive and lead to the recipient’s browser’s home page. The email further lists a range of paid options for video removal, each with escalating costs, ultimately prompting users to make payments to specified Bitcoin addresses.
It is crucial to emphasize that these emails are fraudulent and part of a scam. There is no actual compromising video uploaded to YouPorn, and recipients should not respond to or make any payments to the Bitcoin addresses provided in these scam emails.
Staying vigilant and cautious when encountering such deceptive tactics is essential to avoid falling victim to cyber extortion.
