Authorities are warning people about a cyber extortion scheme that's been showing up in people's in-boxes, threatening to expose dirty little secrets.
The email message claims to come from a hacker who has made it into your devices, went through your search history, and activated your camera while you were browsing pornography. Then comes the demand for money or else video will be sent to everyone in your contacts list.
Even if you have been doing that sort of thing, cyber security expert Darryl d'Aquin says don't fall for it:
"We've seen that email, it's been around for a while, and the best thing to do is delete it," he advises. "They try to get you to do something in an email, to either provide information or click on a link."
d'Aquin says while it is possible for hackers to get remote access to your device, that typically only happens when you accidentally download malware. He says it's more likely the scammer is using this tactic to trick you into going to a web site that will push the malicious software to your computer.