'I RECORDED YOU!' Email Scam

The 'I RECORDED YOU!' email scam is a variation of the so-called 'sextortion tactics' that have become quite popular among con artists in the past few years. Sextortion tactics work by tricking the victim into thinking that an evil-minded individual has obtained nude photos and videos of them while they were browsing pornographic websites. The perpetrator threatens to send the private footage to all of the victim's co-workers, friends and family – the only way to prevent this is to pay a ransom fee that may vary. In the case of the 'I RECORDED YOU!' email scam, the attackers ask for $1,200, and they demand to receive the payment via a Bitcoin transaction.

Anyone can be a recipient of this fake email – all it takes to become one of the targets is for the attackers to find your email online. The message begins by stating that your computer or phone has been infected with a stealthy Remote Access Trojan (RAT) that was only activated while you were browsing adult websites. The tactic continues by stating that the RAT was recording video and audio while it was running and that it also has collected all of your contact emails from your address book and social media. Finally, the perpetrators say that you have three days to pay the ransom fee; otherwise the recorded footage will be released online and sent to your contacts.

Needless to say, the whole message is one huge bluff, and there is nothing to worry about. Thousands of users have received a copy of the same 'I RECORDED YOU!' email scam, and not a single one has had any problems so far. If you receive one of these messages, we advise you to ignore its contents and report the sender's email.