All common scams

Webcam blackmail emails: "I recorded you"

An email says a hacker recorded you through your webcam and will send the video to your contacts unless you pay, and in almost every email like this there is no video.

What it looks like

I know your password. I recorded you through your webcam, and I will send the video to all your contacts unless you send $1,500 in bitcoin to my wallet within 48 hours.

A made-up example. Real messages change the words, the names and the numbers.

The signs to look for

• It says it recorded you and threatens to send the video to your contacts. These emails go to huge lists, and in almost every email like this, there is no video.
• It demands payment in bitcoin or another method that is hard to undo. Paying marks you as someone who pays, and more demands usually follow.
• It sets a short deadline, such as 48 hours, so that fear and shame push you to act before you ask anyone.

What they usually ask for next

1. The email often claims to have a video of you and threatens to send it to your contacts unless you pay in crypto.
2. A second email often follows with a new deadline, sometimes quoting an old password of yours as "proof".
3. In almost every email like this, no video ever appears, and the demands often keep coming for as long as someone replies or pays.

If you already paid, gave access or gave a code

These are the same steps the tool shows after a check, in the same words.

1. Do not pay and do not reply. Paying marks you as someone who pays, and the demands usually come back with a new deadline. These emails go to huge lists, and in almost every email like this, there is no video. We can't tell whether this one is different, so keep the email, but do not engage with it.
2. If the email quotes a password, it usually comes from an old data breach, not from your device. Change that password anywhere you still use it, and turn on two-step sign-in for your email and main accounts. Cover the camera if it gives you more peace of mind.
3. In the United States, if anyone under 18 is being threatened with real images: tell a trusted adult now and report it to the CyberTipline of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Its "Take It Down" service can help remove images from some sites. Type its official address into your browser yourself.
4. Contact your bank, card company, or payment provider right away, by phone or in their official app, using a number from your card or statement. Ask whether the payment can be stopped or disputed. That depends on the payment type and the timing, and an outcome can't be promised. Phone is usually the fastest first move. Going to a local branch (a later step) is the follow-up, not a replacement.

These steps are general guidance. They have not yet been reviewed by the organizations named, and agencies, deadlines and rules differ by country, so use your own government's official website to find the right office. We can't tell whether any step will help in your case.

This is general information, not legal, financial or investigative advice. We can't promise any money will come back.

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