Online extortion is a type of cybercrime in which a perpetrator uses the internet to threaten or coerce someone into providing money or other valuable items. This can be done by threatening to harm the victim or their loved ones, releasing sensitive information, or launching a cyberattack on the victim's computer or website.
To prevent online extortion, you can take the following steps:
- Be cautious about sharing sensitive personal information online, and be careful about who you interact with online.
- Keep your computer and mobile device protected with up-to-date anti-virus and anti-malware software.
- Be careful about clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown or suspicious emails or text messages.
- Use strong, unique passwords for all of your online accounts, and consider using a password manager to store them securely.
- Be aware of the signs of online extortion, such as receiving threatening messages or emails, or being asked to pay money or provide personal information in exchange for not being harmed or having sensitive information released.
- Don't engage with extortionist or pay any demand, this may encourage them to continue or escalate their behavior.
- Keep records of any communication you have with the extortionist, including emails, text messages, and social media messages.
- Contact your local law enforcement and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) if you are being extorted.
- Consider using encryption to protect sensitive information that is stored on your computer or mobile device.
- Use cloud backup services to store copies of important data, this can help you restore your files in case of cyber attack or data loss.
