Bitefender security researchers they have identified a new scam that runs on the net in the form of an email in which they try to convince the recipient that they have been registered on Zoom in adamic seal . It is the new version of a scam that has been around for some time, the concept of which was used to write the script for the episode “Shut up and dance” of the third season of the series Black Mirror .

The email starts fairly neutral: “Hi. This will get your attention. You’ve been using Zoom recently, like most of us during these bad times of COVID and I have a very unpleasant news for you “, then going on to tell of having recorded material in which the user can be seen , as mom did it, perform acts of autoeroticism.

New scam involving Zoom: extortion attempt for 2000 dollars

After other nonsense, the email gets to the point: the request for a payment of 2000 dollars in bitcoins , including the address of the wallet to send the sum to. It is currently unclear whether the actors behind this scam actually managed to reap the loot, but Bitefender researchers claim they have already only been sent to the United States about 250 thousand emails from last year 20 October. By the law of large numbers, the probability that someone has paid the pledge is not negligible.

But beyond the possible irony, what to do if you receive such an email? First: don’t panic . Although the Zoom platform has also been the target of rather annoying and serious attacks, it is highly likely that the extortion attempt is based on nothing and seeks only to leverage the user’s emotions. In any case, if you want to stay safer, it is advisable to cover the webcam with a special accessory or even just with a piece of adhesive tape.

In general, paying a ransom – even in the case of ransomware – is never a good idea. The main road is to report the incident to the competent authorities, and let them do their job.