Hackers using webcams for blackmail

A WARNING from WA's Consumer Protection unit over computer hackers demanding money after obtaining photos of victims.

SCAMMERS are using malware and webcams to obtain photos of their victims, blackmailing them while masquerading as police, the West Australian consumer watchdog has warned.

WA's Consumer Protection unit issued the warning after a Perth mother reported a photo was taken of her 13-year-old daughter when the family computer became infected with a ransomware virus, with the scammer posing as an officer of the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

The photo is displayed in a pop-up warning, which claims that the computer has been frozen by the AFP or other international law enforcement agencies, and the victims are told to pay a fine to unlock it.

The bogus message can be prompted by the user accessing illegal music and movie download sites or inputting certain words into search engines.

In another blackmailing scam, victims are befriended through dating and social networking sites, then convinced to strip or act in a sexual manner in front of their webcam.

The scammers then demand money and threaten to release the footage publicly.

"The emotional toll on the victims can be immense due to fear of embarrassment, especially if the victims are young," Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll said.

"This blackmail tactic is being blamed for the recent suicide of a teenage boy in the UK which is a major concern for us."