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A new twist on an old scam has been discovered by researchers Sextortion scams, like most online fraud, are simultaneously evolving while staying broadly the same. The “we know where you live” blackmail emails are a truly horrible example of this evil evolution in action. While the basic scam framework stays intact, fraudsters are tweaking certain aspects of the attack in order to personalize the threat and increase the pressure to pay.
The payments demanded are increasing as well, perversely adding to the reality of the threat. Here’s what security researchers have uncovered about the Google Maps we know where you live attack. We Know Where You Live Leverages Google Maps Data To Add Immediacy And Fear To The Sextortion Threat A previous sextortion campaign, which was labelled “ Hello Pervert ” by researchers after the subject line of the emails concerned, was among the first to leverage data from Google Maps to install additional fear into the highly targeted victims.
That scam added a screenshot of the victim’s house or place of work taken from Google Maps Street View. All of which was used to increase the knee-jerk reaction to pay the relatively low extortion rate of $500 to make it all go away. Now threat researchers at Barracuda have come across new and evolving tactics being used in a new “ we know where you live ” sextortion campaign.
One of the differences between the threat campaigns is the amount of money being demanded by the scumbag scammers: from $500 up to $2,000 in the latest attacks. And, being the helpful people that they aren’t really, the threat actors are even providing a QR code from where the payments can be made. “Criminals are leveraging the personal data of targeted victims, including full names, telephone numbers, and addresses, to make their sextortion attempts more threatening and convincing,” a Barracuda spokesperson said, “The sextortion emails address the victim by their first and last name, and the opening sentences of the email include the victim’s telephone number, street address, and city.
” Trump’s Cabinet: Here Are His Picks And Finalists For White House Roles—Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller And More New Chrome, Safari, Firefox Warning—Do Not Google These Words Google’s Gmail And Photos Deletion Warning As 1-Year Timer Expires The threat is increased when the scammer directly implies that visiting the street address, be that residential or workplace, might be a better way to resolve the issue of payment. And this is where the Google Maps images come in as additional leverage. Several variations are being used in the line of copy that appears just before the Google Map image of the victim’s address, then Barracuda threat researchers discovered, including: How To Mitigate The Google Maps Sextortion Threat Barracuda has warned that the scammers are evolving in many ways, including using social-engineering tactics to bypass traditional email security gateways.
“Sextortion emails that end up in inboxes typically do so because they originate from high-reputation senders,” Barracuda warned, “hackers use already-compromised Microsoft 365 or Gmail accounts .” In order to mitigate against these sextortion scams, Barracuda recommends using: Example sextortion email In addition, I would also recommend that you take the following steps to blur your home image in Google Maps Street View to remove one weapon from the scammer arsenal. Navigate to Google Maps and search for your home address.
When the Street View sidebar pops up, click on your home to be taken to the full Street View page. Use the on-screen navigation tools until you see your house and click on its image. Once you are sure you have the right property and the address information box matches yours, use the three-dot menu and select report.
This will now open a form where you can ensure the view is focused on the property you are reporting and then ask for your home to be blurred. You should soon be safer from we know where you live sextortion scammers using Google Maps to scare you into paying up..
