We work as hard as we can to make sure that any personal information (other than what is shown publicly on a user's profile) is always protected. What we can't protect against is common scams and attempts at extortion that may make it seem like a hacker gained information from our site.
So called "sextortion" scams arrive via email and explain (usually in broken English) how someone has allegedly gained control of a webcam and recorded a user in compromising situations while visiting adult websites. If the hacker isn't paid (often a strange and uneven dollar amount, often in bitcoin), they will supposedly release the video to everyone on the user's contact list.
That sounds quite scary, until you realize how truly commonplace these scams are. And once you've ignored your first one, it gets easier and easier to mark them all as spam and move on. These emails aren't connected to adult websites or a user's browsing history and are sent to anyone who has an email address, with the hope someone will feel they've been "caught," and pay up.
Three quick tips for sextortion emails:
- NEVER click any links in the body of the email, visit any sites listed, or reply to the sender, under any circumstances.
- NEVER send money or attempt to share any kind of payment information with a bitcoin wallet or PayPal address displayed in the email.
- Immediately change any passwords that might be listed as "proof" that the hacker has access to your account. Here's how to change your BateWorld password right now: How Do I Change My Password?
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