Sextortion spam emails now include a pic of what might be your house

[thewayne]

*sigh*

Sextortion spam isn't new. "I've implanted spyware on your device and I have video of you watching dirty videos and doing unspeakable things! Pay me a bitcoin or I'll send it to everyone on your contact list!" sort of stuff.

Well, they've upped their game a bit with the recent massive data leaks. They're now correlating email addresses to leaked passwords - which are sometimes included - and tying to Google Street View for a photo of your house, cropped with AI to remove watermarks.

According to the comments, they're not very accurate with the geolocation and frequently get a neighbor's house, or in the case of Mike Rowe's parents (the dude from Dirty Jobs), trying to target a 91-y/o.

You can report incidents of this if you're repeatedly targeted to the FBI.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/09/sextortion-scams-now-include-photos-of-your-home/

Comments

[acelightning73]

I have an opaque shutter on my webcam, and I unplug the camera from its USB port when I'm not using it. So there are no videos of me doing dirty things. And I often look at Google Street to see what's become of the places where I used to live, or whether the address of a business is in a "bad neighborhood". I bought some of those "comfortable bras for senior women" (I love 'em! Just as comfortable as advertised) and apparently the "70 year old woman" who makes these bras sews them in her house. The shipping address belongs to a modest-looking suburban house. I don't care, as long as she's making a profit selling the bras.

[thewayne]

My desktop doesn't have a webcam - not even USB, doesn't even have speakers!  I use headphones when I need 'em.  When I get around to replacing my iMac, it'll be a Mac Mini and again, will not have a webcam.  I'll probably get a USB one at that point, and it'll spend 99% of its life unplugged.

[acelightning73]

I got the webcam because some of my doctors like to do telemedicine. And also my old friend who does a lot of tai chi was going to teach me, but he's in the navy and working aboard an aircraft carrier, so I aim the camera so he can see whether I'm standing and moving correctly.But unplugging the USB connection works just fine.

[acelightning73]

The doctor demanded telemedicine, and I was trying to keep up my tai chi lessons. Oh, and there was a "virtual" version of a pagan festival, consisting of endless Zoom meetings. I don't really have much reason to have it, except why should I go to the bother of uninstalling it if it's not in my way?

[dewline]

Extortionist idiots...

[kaishin108]

How horrible! :(

[lydy]

I remember the first time I got one of those emails, I laughed like a drain. I mean, if it were true, I would have shrugged and said, "Fine, whatevs. No one I know cares." But the thing is...I just never look at porn. It's not a moral thing, it's just a me thing. I don't read it, I don't watch it. The closest I get is a Courtney Milan romance, and I do those as audiobooks.

[thewayne]

I kinda feel sorry for the people who have really serious porn addictions who receive one of these!  Kind of like the people who took their own lives after the Ashley-Maddison data leak.

[disneydream06]

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wish people would learn to get a real job like I had to do. :o
Hugs, Jon

[silveradept]

Like many scams, the point is to try and catch you and get you to do something before your rational brain kicks in. Truthfully, though, the thing that should be on anyone's mind about these scams is how general they are about the accusation. There's no details about what supposedly you have been doing, you naughty, naughty person. Extortion that can start telling me what I've done will get more of a response than one that just alleges to know what I've done.