Fraud Fighters
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Is the email from hackers asking for Bitcoin a scam?

Yes. They have no video: the same email goes to millions of people. It has been going round the world since April 2026.

Arrives by Email. Pretends to be: A hacking group.

An international scam: the same English text goes out in every country.

How to spot it

MessageShiny Hunters

Hello, 1We are the ShinyHunters hacking group. A few months ago, we gained 2acces to your devices and started monitoring your online activities. … Within a few clicks, 3we can share these videos with your friends, and family or even make them public. … Send us 4$2000 in Bitcoin to the following address: bc1q You have 548 hours from the moment you open this email.

Text published by: CERT-AGID, the Italian government's cyber team, July 2026, typos as in the original. We blacked out the dark parts.

  1. A well-known "hacking group" that says it has been watching you
  2. Spelling mistakes
  3. A threat to send intimate videos to your contacts
  4. A fixed amount in Bitcoin, with the address ready
  5. A deadline: "48 hours"

How it works

An email says a group of hackers got into your phone or computer, filmed you through the webcam and will send the videos to your family and friends. To stop them, you must pay an amount in Bitcoin within 48 hours. Sometimes it shows an old password of yours, taken from a data breach at some website, to look real. It is all made up: nobody watched you, and people who pay get more demands.

What to do

  1. Do not reply and do not pay. Delete the email.

  2. If it shows a real password of yours, change it everywhere you use it and turn on two-step verification.

  3. If you have lost money, tell your bank now and report it to Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040) with your screenshots; in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101. If someone is coming to your home to collect money or cards, call 999.

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