Nagpur: Beating the lockout blues by surfing adult pages can no longer be a really pleasant proposition. Global cyber swindlers prey on these people’s hidden pleasures to mint money by downloading malware across such pages and then blackmailing viewers.
Maharashtra cyber security cell and its urban unit have begun to receive calls for support from these helpless citizens to save their money from cyber rogues requesting heavy sums or threatening to ‘leak’ their online activities to their established contacts or society as a whole.
In one such email to a survivor, the extortionist made a demand about Rs2.21 lakh in Indian currency via Bitcoin threatening to send details of activity on a porn site and also webcam footage to all of his friends, colleagues and family members.
The extortionist said the victim’s data was procured through malware on a porn video site that the victim had accessed a few days earlier. The extortions shocked the victim by sending out his login information claiming that his browser had started operating as a remote control desktop (RDP) with a keylogger as he enjoyed the video clips.
The system provided the cyber criminal with access to the victim’s device and display screen and the camera as well. The malware stole the victim’s personal data, too.
The extortionist stated in the e-mail that he had prepared a double-screen video, one part of which showed the clip the victim was watching and the other projects the webcam recording.
SP, cyber security cell Maharashtra, Balsing Rajput said such data breach or theft followed by extortion was an emerging phenomenon with people trying to find enjoyment in cyberspace.
“About 15 of us have received some formal and informal reports that unknown individuals are being targeted for extortion using the stolen data. By revealing personal information without taking safety precautions, people should not engage in these pursuits, “he said.
Rajput said the cyber cell was trying to locate the source of these e-mails and were taking corrective steps to protect the victims.
In Nagpur, it’s learned that after surfing porn sites, a man landed in trouble as his contacts started receiving mails from his email ID requesting money. Flabbergasted, the victim landed in finding support in the information security jail.
An expert with Nagpur cyber security cell said adult websites were full of malware and viruses stealing surfer data and manipulating the same. “People are unaware of the procedures to shield their passwords from hackers and cyber crooks and their email IDs. Hundreds of people fell victim to crooks like these, “he said.
