Sextortion Scam “Hello Pervert” Continues To Spread

A sextortion scam identified as “Hello Pervert” has been circulating in recent days, threatening email users with the release of videos allegedly showing them watching adult content unless they pay a large sum of money.

According to The Guardian, malicious actors send an email that begins with “Hello pervert,” attempting to convince recipients that their devices have been compromised.  The scammers claim to have accessed the victims’ email accounts and recorded them using a spyware called Pegasus—developed by the surveillance firm NSO Group, which recently lost a case against Meta.

The email includes a ransom note with threatening messages such as “this is a very bad situation for you” and “your privacy is gone,” claiming to have a video of the victim masturbating or watching pornography. The attackers threaten to send the footage to all the victim’s contacts unless a payment is made.

In the email accessed by The Guardian, the scammers requested $1,450, instructing the victim to transfer the amount to a cryptocurrency wallet within 48 hours. They promised to delete the videos and uninstall the spyware after receiving the payment

The message may also include real passwords that victims have used in the past, obtained through data breaches. Experts advise targeted users not to engage with the attackers, but instead to ignore the messages and report them to the authorities.

Multiple users have reported similar cases on social media since last year. The messages follow a consistent pattern and have primarily targeted Microsoft accounts.

Starting an email with Hello pervert grabs my attention 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/J8r9rufKdV

— Stacey (@staceynwing) September 14, 2024

While some users can easily recognize the scam, there is growing concern about teenage victims of this type of attack. The FBI has issued a warning, highlighting the particular risks this age group faces.

“The FBI also has recently seen an increase in financial sextortion cases targeting minor victims in the U.S.,” states the document. “This increasing threat has resulted in an alarming number of deaths by suicide.”

Tech companies such as Meta have taken action to prevent teenagers from falling into these attacks. A few months ago, Instagram launched a tool that informs users about scammy behaviours and blocks disappearing images and nudes to protect young users from sextortion scams.