Extortion and threats · Also called bitcoin blackmail email, webcam blackmail scam, sextortion spam, I hacked your computer email, porn blackmail email
"I recorded you" email sextortion
Email sextortion is a mass scam email claiming the sender hacked your computer or webcam and recorded you watching adult websites, and demanding bitcoin to stop the video being sent to your contacts. There is no video. The email may quote one of your old passwords or show a photo of your home to seem believable.
How it works
- Scammers obtain email addresses, and sometimes old passwords, names, and home addresses, from data breaches or illegal online markets.
- They send the same threatening email to many people, claiming to have installed software on the recipient's device and recorded them.
- To seem credible, the email may include a real old password or a photo of the recipient's home.
- It demands payment in bitcoin, often within 24 to 48 hours, or the scammer says the video will go to everyone in the recipient's contacts.
Red flags
- An email claims someone hacked your device or webcam and recorded you visiting adult websites.
- The email quotes one of your old or current passwords as proof.
- It includes your name, address, or a photo of your home.
- It demands bitcoin within a short deadline, such as 24 to 48 hours.
If you are targeted
- Stop: do not reply and do not pay anything; the FTC says the threat is all talk.
- If the email shows a real password, change it on every account where you used it.
- Block the sender and delete the message.
- Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
Prevention
For individuals
- Use a different password for every account, so one leaked password cannot open others.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication for your email and other important accounts.
- Check whether your email address appears in known data breaches, and change any password that was exposed.
By the numbers
Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.
| Extortion losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 | $122.5M | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
| Sextortion submissions to the FBI IC3 in 2025 (more than this many) | 75,000 | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
Real cases
No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.
Delivered through: Email phishing
How official datasets classify it
- FBI IC3
- Extortion
- Scamwatch
- Threat scams
Questions
- Is the sextortion email that quotes my password real?
- No. The FTC says the claims about access to your computer or webcam are all talk, but the scammers may know an old password, usually from a data breach. Change that password and do not pay.
- Why does the email include a photo of my house?
- New York State Police warn that these emails often include a photo of the victim's home and personal details bought illegally online. It is a pressure tactic, not proof that anyone has recorded you.