Handle a sextortion or blackmail email

These emails claim to have compromising footage or your password and demand payment in crypto. Almost always it’s an empty bluff.

1. Stay calm — these are mass-sent bluffs; the claim of webcam footage is nearly always fake.
2. Don’t pay anything; paying marks you as a target and never makes it stop.
3. Recognise that a real-looking old password in the email was scraped from a past data breach, not their hacking you.
4. Don’t reply or engage — any response just confirms your address is active.
5. Change the password shown if you still use it anywhere, and turn on multi-factor authentication.
6. Delete the email and report it to your IT team; if you’re being personally targeted or pressured, contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160.