UC San Diego Campus Notice
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, UC SAN DIEGO
 
OFFICE OF THE INTERIM CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH
July 27, 2022
Geisel library at sunset
ALL ACADEMICS, STAFF AND STUDENTS AT UC SAN DIEGO (including UC San Diego Health) 

10x Increase in Sexploitation Scams
Over the last month, UC San Diego has experienced a 10-fold increase in what are known as “sexploitation” scams. These are email messages, claiming that the sender has taken control of the recipient's computer and, unless a payment is received, threatens to release videos and other images of the recipient. This is a recent, verbatim, excerpt of one scam message received:
"Sadly, there are some bad news that you are about to hear. About few months ago I have gained a full access to all devices used by you for internet browsing. Shortly after, I started recording all internet activities done by you[….]However, don't worry, there is still a way to resolve this: You need to carry out a $1490 USD transfer to my wallet (equivalent amount in bitcoins depending on exchange rate at the moment of funds transfer)[...]"
    These sorts of messages are scams designed to prey on individuals and are not true: they may be simply ignored or deleted. 
     
    If you receive such an email, we recommend you:
    • Forward the email to abuse@ucsd.edu. These are automatically analyzed for improving the efficiency of the campus anti-spam and anti-phishing software.
    • Consider blocking the sender using the block list feature of the campus anti-spam system. https://blink.ucsd.edu/technology/email/spam/quarantine.html#3.-View-your-Safe-Sender-lists- 
    • Don’t panic. Millions of such messages are sent every year and they can be safely ignored.
    • Discuss such types of messages with your family, especially teenagers, as they are often frequently targeted by these scams.
    If you have responded to such an email and transferred funds, please immediately contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or report the crime online at tips.fbi.gov. Please also contact the UC San Diego security team at security@ucsd.edu and we will ensure the appropriate university offices are informed to assist.
     
    Thank you,
    Vince Kellen
    Chief Information Officer
    UC San Diego 
     
    Joshua Glandorf
    Interim Chief Information Officer
    UC San Diego Health 
    Background Reading
    • https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sanfrancisco/news/press-releases/fbi-san-francisco-warns-of-increase-in-sextortion-schemes-targeting-young-boys 
    • https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-data-protection/sextortion-scams-how-they-persuade-and-what-to-watch-for/ 
    • https://securityboulevard.com/2021/12/sextortion-email-scams-avast/
    • https://blog.malwarebytes.com/cybercrime/2019/02/sextortion-bitcoin-scam-makes-unwelcome-return/
    University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093