Sextortion email scams target Chapman students, creating a need for further safety online
A recent wave of “sextortion” scam emails serves as a reminder of how Chapman students should stay knowledgeable about ways to protect themselves online. Photo courtesy of Unsplash
Chapman University has recently seen a rise of “sextortion” email scams flooding the inboxes of Chapman students, according to an email sent out by Dean of Students Jerry Price in late February.
While the format of these emails varies, their end goals are the same: private information or monetary gain at the cost of those targeted. Recognition of this fresh wave of scams came about mostly through student reports.
“I would say it has been pretty consistent for the past five or six years,” Price said. “Truthfully, a lot of them keep coming back. You can tell which ones have better success rates because they keep popping back up.”
These particular sextortion emails, according to an article published by Chapman, see the scammer claim to have hacked the target’s computers and thus retrieving compromising information, usually sensitive or otherwise sexual imagery, audio or video of the target. This leads to a demand for payment through cryptocurrency, lest the information be shared with the target’s friends, coworkers and family. The scammers would claim that, as a result of hacking this individual’s computer, they would know of any attempts at resetting their passwords or reaching out for outside help.
“I think that, one, this traditional age college group tends to be less risk averse than older groups. Secondly, they’re probably more comfortable with some more riskier online behavior. And thirdly, from a financial standpoint, I think a lot of the scammers think these are students whose parents have resources, so even if (the students) don’t have the money, someone will help them out.”
As per the Chapman article, sextortion can take many forms beyond just scam emails.
Students can be lured in by fake accounts through a variety of social media platforms, with the scammers in question sometimes obtaining real, embarrassing information, such as lewd messages or images, about their targets for genuine exploitation. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that even if the victim does comply, the images won’t be released afterward.
“I think for some students, there is the embarrassment of even engaging in the behavior they thought was legit and, you know, that’s behavior people do privately,” Price said. “So to report it now, even if you didn’t do anything wrong (and) no one’s going to judge you for it, that’s not how it feels when it happens.”
One of the major reasons that students don’t report they’ve been scammed is due to the associated shame, especially with the nature of the scam itself.
However, it is crucially important to note that any money given to these scammers will likely be unable to be recovered. As it stands, according to Price, the police will likely be unable to help students due to the nature of the scams themselves.
“Given the sensitive nature of the sextortion scam, identifying potential targets can be challenging,” said Michelle Sypinero, the assistant vice president of Information Security at Chapman. “Therefore, we prioritize preventive measures, including campus-wide outreach, to fortify our defenses, and we encourage students to alert IS&T immediately of any fraudulent, threatening or suspicious emails.”
Chapman’s Information Services and Technology department (IS&T) is currently dealing directly with counteracting the sextortion email scam. Currently, the best way students can help IS&T is by reporting any suspicious emails they receive, be it from Outlook, Gmail or any other platform, to abuse@chapman.edu. Other resources created by IS&T include a page about trending email scams that touches on more potential ways scammers may reach out to students.
Student involvement is key to preventing future scams, and while it may seem embarrassing to reach out with the nature of these sextortion emails, those involved have made it clear that no judgments will be had.