Scammers Earn $50,000 from Porn Site Visitors with Bluffing Extortion Scheme

Recently, information surfaced about cybercriminals who extort Bitcoin from users by threatening to publish a video allegedly showing them visiting adult websites. Security researchers now report that these scammers have managed to earn $50,000 through this scheme.

How the Scam Works

After discovering this malicious campaign, a SecGuru security expert began tracking the Bitcoin addresses used by the scammers. The specialist noticed that frightened users, worried about supposed compromising material, were actually sending money to the criminals.

SecGuru analyzed 42 Bitcoin addresses used by the scammers during their cybercriminal activities. It turned out that 30 victims paid the ransom, allowing the scammers to collect a total of $50,000.

Payment Details

SecGuru published a list of payments, revealing that just one address received about 2.54 Bitcoins from 8 users. At the current exchange rate, this amounts to approximately $18,000.

The Truth Behind the Threats

In reality, the cybercriminals are bluffing. They do not have any video evidence. They simply claim that, using malware installed on the victim’s system, they were able to record video from the webcam proving visits to adult sites. However, there is no actual video or proof.