Extortion Email
A scam email claiming the attacker has compromising information or access to your device, demanding payment to prevent exposure. Usually relies on fear and leaked password lists.
Extortion emails (also called sextortion scams) typically claim the sender has hacked the recipient’s webcam, captured compromising footage, and will release it unless a ransom is paid in cryptocurrency. To appear credible, the email often includes a real password the recipient has used: obtained from a previous data breach.
Seeing a familiar password makes the threat feel real, even though the attacker usually has nothing beyond the leaked credential. The emotional response drives some victims to pay.
The defense is awareness: these emails are mass-sent using breach databases, the claims are almost always fabricated, and the best response is to change any passwords that appear in the email. Using a password manager ensures each service has a unique password, limiting the psychological leverage of such scams.
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