A series of reports have already been made by concerned individuals regarding some random people sending messages via email informing the recipients' purported videos browsing and watching adult sites. The M.O.? To extort money from potential victims.

While this type of extortion scam is nothing new, perpetrators in this scheme are using a great amount of deception to make the recipients believe that they grabbed them by their neck. The scary part is that the sender knows the victim's email account password.

According to Dutch security researcher SecGuru, the perpetrators are targeting email accounts from data breaches, revealing to the original users of their old or current passwords to make their case more plausible.

The perpetrators will usually start off by telling the recipients that they have visited an adult website where a malware is set up, and they would claim that they were able to record the recipients' screen and camera.

In the sample email obtained by Bleeping Computer and SecGuru, the sender under the name Beitris Englert then asked $2,900 as a "fair price for our little secret" and demanded to pay it in Bitcoin in one day.

With a cryptocurrency's nature, it is almost impossible to track down the sender.

Read the full email below, courtesy of Bleeping Computer:

Email scam

The modus might be just a case of serious bluffing, considering the things on the line, it is not easy not to give in to the perpetrator's request. In fact, a couple of victims were reported to have paid the requested amount, with one who paid as much as $3,900.

Back in February, a widespread email campaign was also undertaken by some extortionists with almost similar modus. After a series of incidents were reported, it turned out that more recipients had fallen prey to the scammers.

To avoid scams like this, it is highly recommended to check one's email account through HaveIBeenPwned.com whether it is being breached or not. If it is, change its password immediately.