Israelis, Americans should prepare for new sextortion scam, expert warns ‘Post’

Cybercriminals are leveraging advanced AI tools to execute a sophisticated new sextortion scam, targeting wealthy individuals and threatening to ruin their lives with fabricated evidence.

Ori Segal, CEO of cybersecurity firm Cyvore, told The Jerusalem Post that the scam involves luring victims into video calls with women. After the call, the perpetrators use AI to manipulate the footage, altering the woman's face to appear as a 12-year-old girl. The victim then receives a message claiming the scammers possess evidence of their involvement with a minor, demanding a substantial payment to prevent them from being reported as a sex offender.

“

They use very special AI tools to change the figure of the woman that you just saw into a child. After they’re doing that, you suddenly get a message from them that say, ‘Hey, we have some evidence about you,’ and you don’t know what they’re talking about, and they start sending you pictures or part of the video, and then you get a shock because you see yourself watching a 12-year-old girl playing with herself

Segal explained that the AI's ability to realistically alter the video creates a sense of panic and urgency, pressuring victims to pay quickly without thinking. The scam is particularly effective due to the devastating social consequences of being labeled a "pedophile," making it difficult for victims to prove their innocence. He noted that one victim was only saved because his wife was present during the interaction, suggesting many others may pay to avoid the shame and fear.

While the extortion attempts have so far primarily targeted individuals in the United States, Segal predicts an imminent expansion to Israelis. He highlighted that cybercriminals' confidence and techniques have rapidly advanced with AI developments. In the past two years, phishing attempts have surged by 2,500%, and credential phishing by 1,000%. On Wednesday alone, 183 new phishing attempts targeting Israelis were reported.

“

I’m guessing many people will pay this penalty to the fraudster in order to forget about it and put it behind them