Sextortion scam emails are being sent out by scammers, Devon and Cornwall Police have warned.

The scam messages attempt to coerce victims to pay a BitCoin ransom to the scammers by threatening to publish videos of the victim visiting adult websites.

They state that the scammer has access to all the victims’ social media contacts in order to do this. These emails can be made all the more convincing as the scammers may include one of the victims passwords in the email.

A police spokesperson warned: ‘Convincing as they are, it is not even always the case that the victim has in fact been looking at adult websites. So in order to protect yourself:

Don’t reply to or click on any of the links in the email. Report the email to Action Fraud at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report-phishing (assuming that you have not parted with money or personal details).

Don’t make the Bitcoin payment. Doing so may encourage more scams as the fraudster will know they have a ‘willing customer’.

If you have made the Bitcoin payment, or otherwise parted with money, report it to [email protected] or https://services.devon-cornwall.police.uk/crimereporting

If the email includes a password you still use, change it immediately.

Also consult this website to see what other of your online information may have been compromised by a data breach of a company or organisation that you have been dealing with: www.HaveIBeenPwned.com

For more information, about how to protect yourself from sextortion scams (remember, you don’t actually need to have been looking at adult material, but the scam emails are nonetheless convincing and threatening) read advice from the National Cyber Security Centre https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/sextortion-scams-how-to-protect-yourself and Action Fraud https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/alert/alert-cyber-criminals-send-victims-their-own-passwords-in-new-sextortion-scam

For updates on online and email scams, and cyber crime, follow the Force’s Cyber Protect Team on social media. D&C Police Cyber is on Twitter @DC_CyberProtect

‘Also send any phishing emails like this or other emails which you are unsure of to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service at [email protected] but only if you have not parted with money or information already in response to the suspicious email.

‘This service was recently set up by the national Cyber Security Centre (part of GCHQ) The NCSC acts upon every message received,added the police spokesperson.

‘By sending your phishing emails to this service, you will genuinely be helping to protect more people from becoming potential victims. Within the first week of the service being launched, 395 phishing sites were successfully removed from the internet.’