The e-mail or letter includes a statement like, 'I had a serious spyware and adware infect your computer,' or 'I have a recorded video of you' as an explanation of how the information was allegedly gathered.The recipient is accused of visiting adult websites, cheating on a spouse, or being involved in other compromising situations.For example, the recipient's user name or password is provided at the beginning of the e-mail or letter. The recipient's personal information is noted in the e-mail or letter to add a higher degree of intimidation to the scam.The online extortion attempt comes as an e-mail from an unknown party and, many times, will be written in broken English with grammatical errors.It is important to remember that scammers adapt their schemes to capitalize on current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, high-profile breaches, or new trends involving the Internet, all in an attempt to make their scams seem more authentic. The following characteristics are not all-inclusive but should serve as red flags. Online extortion schemes vary, but there are a few common indicators of the scam. While there are many variations of these online extortion attempts, they often share certain commonalities.

The scammers are sending e-mails threatening to release sexually explicit photos or personally compromising videos to the individual's contacts if they do not pay. Because large swaths of the population are staying at home and likely using the computer more than usual, scammers may use this opportunity to find new victims and pressure them into sending money. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has seen an increase in reports of online extortion scams during the current 'stay-at-home' orders due to the COVID-19 crisis. Online Extortion Scams Increasing During The Covid-19 Crisis

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