Attack Type: Extortion

Extortion attacks use fear and intimidation to pressure you into paying money or handing over sensitive information. These emails often claim the sender has access to private data, recordings, or control over your systems and threaten to release it unless you comply. The goal is to scare you into acting quickly, usually by demanding payment in cryptocurrency.

Sextortion is a common version, where attackers claim to have recorded you through your webcam and threaten to share the footage unless you pay. To make the threat more believable, they might include a password from an old data breach or refer to a personal detail scraped from the web.

Other versions can be more extreme, such as threats of physical harm, fake hitman contracts, or warnings that your company will be taken offline in a DDoS attack. While most of these messages are completely fake, they’re designed to feel personal and urgent. Even when they’re not real, they can cause real anxiety. That’s why it’s important to report them and avoid responding or paying.