The Big Bad Pig and the 3 Little Wolves
Falling for an extortion scam can change everything. The reality is that it’s not just something that happens to politicians, CEOs and celebrities. Anyone can be targeted at any time.
Cybercriminals never take a break.
Chapter 1
A short story about extortion scams:
It all starts when a criminal finds a way to gain access to your personal data, or the inner workings of a main server. There, they find what valuable assets and information they can – without your knowledge.
Then suddenly, you are faced with an anonymous threat holding your private information or personal assets up for ransom – either exposing you or locking you out of access. A criminal has found something valuable, and now they want you to pay them to get it back, or else.
And so the twisted story begins…
The most typical data breaches
- are usually executed by an anonymous individual
- carry supposedly high stakes risks in exchange for money
- will try to make you react with emotion rather than logic.
Chapter 2
So, how do criminals distort your story with extortion?
They make it seem like it’s personal. It’s not. It’s just another criminal out to get some money. You just happen to be the main character in the scam.
Extortion is illegal and comes in various forms, such as:
- Cyber extortion
- Blackmail
- Bribery
- Embezzlement
- Forgery
and many more new forms are being adapted by cyber villains every day!
Chapter 3
What is cyber extortion & how does it work?
Cybercriminals know just how to access information that you think is private. When you least expect it, they gain access to this inforation and hold it hostage in exchange for money – usually in the form of untraceable cryptocurrency.
Cybercriminals know they can make people react out of emotion if the threat is drastic or personal enough.
The most common forms of cyber extortion occur via:
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks – Hackers use a network of infected computers to flood the network with messages, effectively taking it out of service.
- Online blackmail – Hackers threaten to release sensitive information to relatives, friends & employers.
- Machinery hijacking – Hackers gain access to plant machinery via system networks.
- Phishing scams – Fake links or login pages, most often found in fraudulent e-mails, leaks your information straight to a hacker.
Chapter 4
Some statistics on cyber extortion
In 2018, cybercrime nearly doubled to $2.7 billion in losses from the previous year. Over half of that was via fraudulent e-mail scams.
Cyber extortion saw a 242% increase in activity since the start of 2017.
Cybercrime took over $253 million from 3,583 victims via investment scams.
$253 million
from
$3,583 victims
Chapter 5
Get your story right
Don’t let cyber villains steal your story. Fill in the blanks below to unlock the final chapter.
To avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime, you should:
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Live happily ever after!
If you come across any suspicious or illegal content while surfing the internet or checking your mails, please report it to phishingreport@sappi.com