A couple of years back, fraudsters devised a novel phishing email. They would assert that they had infiltrated your computer, activated your webcam, and recorded you indulging in adult content or engaging in intimate activities. BuzzFeed features an article discussing a “strikingly authentic” version, which incorporates images of you and your residence—providing more detailed information.

The article outlines “actions you can take to determine if it’s a hoax,” yet it leaves out the primary and most crucial piece of advice: If the hacker possessed compromising footage of you, they would share a snippet. Just a preview, not the most embarrassing portions that would leave you fretting about how severe it could be, but something nevertheless. If the hacker refrains from presenting any video, they simply do not have any. Everything else is merely embellishment.

I recall when this scam was initially conceived. I reassured several individuals who were genuinely concerned with that single piece of information.