Sextortion scams are nothing new; they usually follow a pretty rigid template that involves warning a victim that they have control of their computer and are in possession of videos or photos of them watching, to put it mildly, pornographic content. But security researchers at Malwarebytes Labs have spotted a new campaign, identified as “Hello Pervert” from the way the scammers address the victim in emails, which uses an alarming new tool to add weight to the “I am watching you” claims: a photo of your own home likely grabbed from Google Maps Street View. Here’s what is happening and how you can protect yourself from this kind of blackmail threat.
The Hello Pervert Sextortion Scam Explained
The newly identified Hello Pervert sextortion scam is unusual in two ways, both designed to cause maximum fear in the victim with the intention that they will be too scared to do anything but pay the scammer. Firstly, the emails that are being sent claim to have compromised the victim’s computer with the infamous Pegasus spyware. The chances are reasonably high that this name will resonate with people as it has been the subject of much media attention over the years. If someone were to Google it, they would discover that it is, indeed, spyware that can be covertly installed on both iPhones and Android devices. However, as Malwarebytes intelligence researcher Pieter Arntz writes in his report, “Pegasus has never been observed outside of a surveillance campaign carried out, specifically, by governments.”
The second new tactic being used by these cyber-predators is actually far more worrying for anyone getting one of these emails: a photo of your home is included in the threatening document. The combination of the spyware lie, another stating that the attacker has your password, which is often accompanied by a password that is, indeed, known to you, and a photo of your house is likely to send an already worried person over the edge. Paying the “fee” seems to be the only way to prevent the apparent hacker from sending pornographic images to your family and friends.
Is The Scammer Really Watching You?
The short answer to the question posed above is no, they are not. If they already have enough personal information to know your name, email address and a genuine password from a combination of data breach leaks and social media, they likely also know your physical address. Armed with this last piece of information, Arntz explained, “you can grab such pictures from Google Maps or similar apps.”
Don’t panic; you have not been hacked, nobody is watching you anything, and do not pay any fee that is demanded. Here are three steps you should take when in receipt of a sextortion scam email.
How To Blur Your House In Google Maps Street View
I would advise anyone who doesn’t want their home to be featured in Google Maps, or at least not in high-resolution clarity, to do the following which will result in the property image to be blurred in Street View. At least this way you would know someone hasn’t been outside your home but is actually just using an only mapping service. Other online maps may require different methods, so you must check their user support forums for those.
- 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.
