A NEW phishing campaign is sending spouses alarming emails saying their husband or wife is cheating on them, with links to the ‘evidence’.
The “creepy” emails use real full names, baffling recipients who say they rarely use their full names or pet names on the internet.
The links took them to a webpage asking recipients to log in, Bleeping Computer reported, citing people who claimed to have to clicked through.
This is a common tactic used to distribute malware.
“I received this email addressed to my partner (in blue), saying that they have “proof i am cheating”,” a recipient of the email posted to Reddit.
“My name is red. It’s coming from community@3bigs.com. I also have the option to opt-out of communications if I wish.”
The recipient continued: “They have used our full names (even my second last name that I barely use anywhere) and I am not sure how they found this information.
“I am pretty sure it’s a scam but I couldn’t find any information on this online…. anyone had this happen to them? It’s so creepy.”
Another potential victim of the scam said the crooks had accidentally used the name of an old pet, Mr. Wiggles, and not the name of their spouse.
The emails claim to be from a cybersecurity company.
The company claims the recipient’s spouse was hacked and that data showing their husband or wife cheating on them was stolen by threat actors.
“[Spouse’s name] is cheating on your. Here a proof.
“As a company engaged in cyber security we’ve found information to [Spouse’s name] that interest you.
“We made a full backup of his disk (We have all his address book, social media, history of viewing sites, dating apps, all files, phone numbers, and addresses of all his contacts) and are willing to give you full access to this data. For more details visit our website.”
If you received the email, or one like it, it’s advised you delete it.
Sextortian scams first appeared in 2018, and have been proven to be incredibly lucrative for the criminals involved.
At the beginning of the month, The Sun exposed the ‘Yahoo Boys’, a gang of men who con thousands of people in the UK through sextortion.
The crooks have been recorded flashing piles of cash and showing off Mercedes motors and £1000 Balenciaga trainers with the money they receive from terrified, blackmailed victims.
At least three UK teenagers have committed suicide after being threatened through sextortion.
Meta, the company behind Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, last month cracked down on the twisted gangs who lure victims into sending explicit images before blackmailing them for cash.
More than 63,000 Yahoo Boy accounts have been shut down on Meta’s platforms.
Dan Sexton, chief technology officer at the Internet Watch Foundation, said: “This is a public health epidemic.
“It’s a damning indictment of online safety that it is easy enough and profitable enough to target children and young people online. It appears to be a legitimate business strategy by criminals.”
