The terrifying Google Maps tactic now used by email scammers | Tech News [Video]

People are being sent screenshots of their home location in a bid to scare them into paying cyber criminals.

Those being targeted see a familiar area on Google Maps, with a caption along the lines of ‘Can you notice something here?’ or ‘Is this the right place to meet?’

The idea is to threaten victims by claiming this is not purely an empty online threat.

Details of the creepy new tactic were revealed by cybersecurity firm Barracuda, who said ‘sextortion’ is now a major problem making up 3% of targeted phishing attacks.

Criminals threaten to share explicit photos or videos unless they receive payment, usually in Bitcoin.

They claim to have been able to access the images from the victim’s computer and use identifying details from usernames and passwords stolen in data breaches, but they likely do not really have compromising material.

In many cases, they have sent similar emails …