"I recorded you — pay or I'll send it"

An email or message claims a criminal has hacked your webcam, recorded you, or stolen private photos, and demands payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency within a day or two — or they'll send everything to your contacts. To seem convincing, they often quote an old password of yours, your phone number, or your street.

Here is the reassuring truth: almost every one of these is an empty bluff. The criminal has no video. The password they quote was simply scooped up in a past data breach and sent out to thousands of people at once, in the hope that a few will panic and pay.

What to do — the golden rule: do not pay, and do not reply. Replying only tells them a real person is reading. Keep the message as evidence, then report it at econsumer.gov or to your local police number. If the password they quoted is one you still use anywhere, change it and turn on two-factor authentication.